A Night To Remember
by Katherin Bend
Summary: Stephanie is an established BEA and meets Ranger and his Merry Men one night after she apprehends their skip. Rated M for language and possible future sassy scenes. Everybody friendly!
1. A Night to Remember Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey friends and welcome to another story! So I'm not done with Mayhem in Miami( not even close) so don't worry!! But I got this little nugget stuck in my brain and had to write it down. I wanted to do a different version of how the group met Steph. I have read so many stories but I don't think I've seen any like this so... It's everyone friendly … I've found that I'm a MAJOR tart fan, but I'm pro Ranger in this story, so hopefully you like it… enjoy!**

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

CHAPTER 1

**Ranger's POV**

My name is Ranger Manoso, and I own Rangeman security firm, a company that does the security for most of Trenton. I also go after high dollar skips, meaning criminals that are bonded out of jail and then "forget" to show up to their court date. Our job tonight is to recapture one such stellar individual, Chad Borne. Borne is some white collar fancy assed punk who had a little too much fun with the ladies and the powder one night, and was arrested by Trenton's finest. Then he skipped town, and is hanging out in Philly at a club called Dante's Inferno, which brings us to my night tonight.

On these types of set ups I usually bring along a female bounty hunter we work with sometimes , Jeanne Ellen Borrows, to have her snare the target, but she had some sort of emergency and had to leave the country so I'm down to just my guys. Cal is at the door, working as a bouncer and I have about ten guys scattered around the club to watch for the skip to show up. I'm not hopeful that we can catch this guy with no incident, but we'll see.

After about an hour of waiting for him to show up someone else catches my eye. A woman, about 5'6 with a head full of wild curls and wearing something that might get her arrested for indecent exposure if she bends over appears in my peripheral vision. My pants immediately got tight , and an image flashed in my mind of those curls making a curtain around my cock as she went down on me. _Holy shit what the hell was that?_ I shook my head and heard the voices of my core men in my earpiece, apparently they saw her too.

"Fuck who is that?" Lester Santos, my cousin, ever the eloquent speaker.

"She's got an ass you can bounce a quarter off of." Bobby Brown, our resident medic. He is usually more formal than that, so the fact he just commented on her anatomy that way kind of shocked me, and pissed me off.

"And her legs in those heels? Can you imagine them wrapped around your waist…" Tank, my second in command ,spoke low and all the men groaned.

"Enough." I hissed as quiet as possible. "We are on the look out for Borne, not your next lay." To be honest I was jealous that they all were looking at her that way, I wanted to say "I saw her first" but that sounded like we were in middle school, and we were far from that.

"Cuz you can't say you didn't notice her. She's fucking hot!" Lester spoke up again. He's never really learned when I say a command to just follow it. It's been that way since we were kids, him fighting against me and my natural authority.

"Les fuck off." I watched the woman sipping on her drink at the bar. My eyes followed her as she got up and moved to the dance floor with a man who looked familiar but I couldn't place his face. I could hear the growls in my ear piece come through loud and clear as we watched the man put his hands on her hips and she got up close and personal with him as they danced. As we were lost in thought watching her I heard Cal come over the ear piece.

"Ranger, target has arrived." I immediately sat up straight and found the target, Borne, coming in to the club. His eyes widened when he saw the brown haired temptress on the dance floor, and he went straight to her. She smiled shyly and nodded at him, allowing him to put his hands on her. I could hear more growls in my ear, louder that earlier, although maybe that was because I was growling along with my men. Something about this woman, I needed to protect her. The urge came over me as soon as I saw her, I've never felt that way about anyone but my daughter.

We watched them dance for a few songs, and before I could help it I found myself standing and gravitating towards them (well, her). I could see my men start to move forward but I shook my head. This wasn't about Borne, this was about her. As I approached I locked eyes with her and found myself staring at the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen, they reminded me of the ocean, but even that wasn't a fair comparison. They sparkled and the color was deep, with flecks of grey and green mixed in. I gathered my wits and tapped Borne on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"

The woman looked me up and down and those eyes darkened. I saw her tongue poke out and sweep across her lips _Holy fuck why did that just make me almost cum in my pants like a horny teen?_ She looked back at Borne who had a rather nasty look on his face but to his credit walked away from us towards the bar and I stepped in front of her.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and I pulled her close to me, bending down to whisper in her ear. "I don't mean to scare you, but that man is a criminal and I'm here to take him back to jail." I heard her snort _snort? What the hell?_ As she pulled back and stared into my eyes I could see a look of … _wait is she laughing at me?_

"Duh." _Talk about being a teenager._ "I know exactly who he is. But I don't know you…" she glanced around the room to keep an eye on Borne while we danced. "Stephanie Plum, from Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. And you are?"

I was speechless for the first time in … well ever. After a second of her staring at me with those big blue eyes I regained my power of speech. "Ranger Manoso of Rangeman Security. And a BEA… for Vincent Plum." Her face twisted before she let go of me and stormed off. I had to run (okay not run she was in 4 inch FMP she wasn't going fast ) to catch up to her. I gently grabbed her arm and turned her around . "Miss Plum we should probably talk."

She glared at me. "Why? My pervert cousin obviously didn't trust me to catch this guy, so he brought in the big guns." Her eye caught my men starting to walk towards us. "Holy hell, is it a requirement of your company that everyone looks like Gods?" I snickered and she clapped her hand over her mouth, I guess she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"No babe, but it helps." _Babe? Where the hell did that come from?_ She glared at me again at the sound of the nickname.

"Well BATMAN, I hate to break this little tête-à-tête up but I have a man to capture. This has been fun, we should do it again sometime." And with that she spun around on her heel and walked back to Borne at the bar. Within a few seconds he was following her outside like a lost puppy.

"Pack it up, our target was apprehended by another party." I told my men and we walked outside after her to see her cuffing Borne and putting him inside her vehicle. One that looked like it wouldn't get to the corner much less the PD in Trenton. "You need some help babe?" If looks could kill I would have been on the ground with a knife in my heart.

"No, thank you." She gritted her teeth and I saw the man that she had originally been dancing with inside at the wheel. "See you around Batman." I caught a gleam in her eye as she shut the door and they drove away.

**Stephanie's POV **

I spent the last hour getting ready for my job tonight, and stepped back to admire myself in the mirror. My curls had been tamed, my skirt was short and my legs looked incredible paired with the FMPs that I had on. When I stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room I heard a low whistle. Grinning I turned slowly. "You like?"

"Cupcake it should be illegal for you to look that good." Joseph Morelli, my best friend in the whole wide world and one of Trenton PDs finest decided it would be a good idea that he tag along tonight with me while I apprehended the skip I was going after. He helps me out sometimes if the skips are bigger or we feel they might put up a fight. The whole showing up before leaving and watching me get ready thing was new though. He and I were close when we were kids, even throughout high school but it never turned sexual. We tried kissing once when we were both drunk and it was too weird. He's like the brother I never had, and the son my mom wished I had been. His nickname for me was due to the fact that he thought I was too sweet for my own good. He had no idea how wrong he was.

"You sure you're up for this Cupcake? The guy is scum…"

I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed my purse. "Joey, this guy will be putty in my hands before midnight. Let's go." He just grinned at me and shook his head, and we walked out to my vehicle.

"Please, let's take my car. I can't be seen in this death trap." He turned to me with pleading eyes and I shook my head.

"Your car screams cop. How would that go over? Besides Bertha here has gotten me from point A to point B for 6 months now, and she hasn't given up on me yet. Deal with it." I didn't blame him for trying to change my mind. The car had rust spots covering it that you could see from space, and there might even be a hole or two in the floorboard. No matter, when I got this guy to jail I would be cashing in a big enough check that I could find myself a better car.

We got in and Joe handed me the file on our skip, in case I needed a refresher. I didn't but I appreciated the thought. Chad Borne, 25, high and mighty playboy wannabe found himself with a bunch of women and high as a kite when Trenton PD arrested him 2 months ago. Joe had been the lead detective on the case. Then my no good cousin Vincent Plum went and bailed him out of jail, and Borne ran (they always do.) That brings us to tonight. My job is to track him down and bring him back to jail. I'm a bail enforcement agent, or BEA for my cousin Vinnie. Weird career choice right? Yeah it wasn't the first option I had chosen.

A few months back I had a great job as a lingerie buyer for EE Martin, until they got shut down by the government for embezzlement and fraud. So annoying, I liked that job and I got free lingerie! Joe liked me having that job too, I brought home free pieces for him to give his girlfriend whenever he was in the dog house with her. I like her, she's an elementary school teacher and from what I can tell they're getting serious. He asked me for my opinion on indoor vs outdoor venues and cake flavors. Why he's asking me about that stuff when he hasn't asked her the important question is beyond me, but hey if I get free cake out of it I'm all for it!

Not too long later we pull up in front of the club for tonight's apprehension, Dante's Inferno in Philly. So not only did the guy not show up for his bond hearing, he also skipped across state lines. BIG NO NO. I familiarized myself with his picture and stuffed the folder into the glove box, while Joe came around and opened the door for me. Holding out his hand to me I smiled and took it, unfolding my legs from the cramped spot and standing. "Shit Cupcake." I looked into Joe's brown eyes and was surprised to see them dark.

"What? You've seen me dressed for distractions before…" I trailed off not understanding what his deal was.

"Yeah well, for some reason tonight it's getting to me. Sue me, I'm a guy and you're hot." He leaned down and gave me a kiss behind my ear, making me shiver.

"Quit that! I haven't had sex in months, and you know how I get." I slapped him playfully and we walked to the front door of the club. I was feeling like Wonder Woman until I saw the line of people waiting for entrance and the bouncer at the door. I tripped over a non existent crack in the parking lot when I saw him and Joe has to rescue me by wrapping is arm around my waist.

"If you wanted my hands on you Cupcake you just had to ask." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"Door." I gestured with my head and his eyes got narrow when he saw the man standing there. It appeared he recognized him, but that couldn't have been right. The man had a flaming skull tattoo right near his forehead and looked like he could kill someone with one finger, I didn't see Joe being friends with him. "You know that guy?"

"Mhhmm. Come with me." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door, where the behemoth standing looked down at us with a stone face.

"Morelli." _Oh he speak! And his voice was almost musical!_ I tried not to drool as I saw him up close. His shirt was tight across his chest, and his muscles appeared to have muscles of their own he was that stacked.

"Cal. This is my friend Stephanie." _He does not look like a Cal, but whatever._ I threw him a smile and did a finger wave at him and I swear he cracked a small smile as he undid the rope and let us through, much to the disappointment of the other wanna be club goers waiting to be admitted. I heard the grumbling of someone in line but it stopped quickly with one look from Cal. He just nodded to us and we walked into the club.

The night started slow. We waited for Borne to show, I had my limit of one drink while Joe drank water. Technically he was "on duty" so no alcohol for him _nah nah nah boo boo!_ I was sitting there nursing my drink when I felt the weirdest sensation on the back of my neck. The whole thing tingled, like I was being watched. I scanned the room but didn't see anything or anyone out of place, so I just went back to happily swirling the straw in my drink with my tongue making it appear I was already drunk. I heard Joe clear his throat as he grabbed my hand. "Let's dance."

I'm not graceful by any means. In fact I'm kind of a klutz in my normal every day life… but dancing? Something about the music and the way I let it sink into my system… I move like no one is watching me… like I'm the only one in the room. Sometimes I even forget I have a partner. Joe knows this, he's been out with me and seen my moves so I'm surprised he wants to subject himself to that but whatever, apparently he's a glutton for punishment tonight. Our dancing didn't last long, Borne came in shortly after and made a beeline for me, cutting in. Joe knew his part, he went to sit back at the bar while watching my back (backside maybe). I immediately felt icky when Borne put his hands on me, but it wasn't anything a hot shower couldn't fix later. We danced for a few songs when I felt the tingle in my neck start up again, this time going full force. I heard a voice say "May I cut in?"

Borne moved and I caught sight of the most delicious looking human being I've ever laid eyes on in my life. Involuntarily my tongue poked out and swiped across my lips, and the mans eyes went dark as he watched me. Borne grumbled under his breath and went to sit at the bar. I wrapped my arms around the mans neck as he put his hands around my waist.

"I don't mean to scare you, but that man is a criminal and I'm here to take him back to jail." I couldn't help it, I let out a very undignified snort.

"Duh. I know exactly who he is. But I don't know you…" I glanced around the room to keep an eye on Borne while we danced. "Stephanie Plum, from Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. And you are?"

He waited for a moment before responding. "Ranger Manoso of Rangeman Security. And a BEA… for Vincent Plum." My face got hot and I knew I was going to go into full on Rhino Steph , so I took off. He caught up to me (granted I wasn't moving all that fast in my pumps ) and grabbed my arm to turn me towards him. "Miss Plum we should probably talk."

I glared at him. "Why? My pervert cousin obviously didn't trust me to catch this guy, so he brought in the big guns." I saw a group of men walking towards us and deduced they were his employees. "Holy hell, is it a requirement of your company that everyone looks like Gods?" He snickered and I clapped my hand over my mouth. _Damn it that was out loud !_

"No babe, but it helps." _Babe? Where the hell did that come from?_ I glared at him again at the sound of the nickname.

"Well BATMAN, I hate to break this little tête-à-tête up but I have a man to capture. This has been fun, we should do it again sometime." Where I came up with that name for him I have no idea, I guess because he was dressed all in black and very mysterious. With that I spun around on my heel and walked back to Borne at the bar. Within a few seconds he was following me outside like a lost puppy.

"What the hell was that Cupcake?" Joe met me outside as outside as I was cuffing Borne and putting him inside my vehicle. I didn't get a chance to respond before I heard a voice from behind me. "You need some help babe?" If looks could kill Joe would be arresting me for murder of this tall dark stranger.

"No, thank you." I gritted my teeth as Joe slid behind the wheel. "See you around Batman." I looked straight at him as I shut the door and we drove away.

**A/N2: Whatcha think? Yay? Nay? **


	2. A Night to Remember Chapter 2

A/N: So I got some positive feedback... here is another chapter!

Chapter 2

**Stephanie's POV**

I crossed my arms and sat in silence through the car ride back to Trenton. Joe could tell something was up, but being friends for almost 30 years he knew to keep quiet about it. We dropped off Borne at the police station, and I was leaning against the counter waiting for my body receipt when Eddie Gazarra , Carl Costanza and Big Dog all came walking in. Eddie saw me first, stopping short and causing the other two to plow into his back. I fought back a giggle as Carl and Big Dog started in on Eddie for stopping when they both followed his gaze towards me. "Heya boys." I did a little finger wave at them. "How are the mean streets of Trenton tonight?"

"Holy shit Steph, what are you wearing?" Eddie's voice was barely above a whisper. Joe, Eddie Carl, Big Dog and myself all grew up together. I consider them all my family, although Eddie actually **is** family, he married my cousin , Shirley the whiner, and they have 3 kids that I love but can't stand to be around. Believe me, you don't want to be stuck babysitting those heathens.

"My typical Friday night outfit, why? Something bothering you there E?" This was payback from when his kids put gum in my hair after last said babysitting disaster. I bit back a grin as his face contorted and he shuffled back and forth on his feet.

"You look hot Steph. H. O. T. I know this isn't all for Morelli right?" Carl spoke up from behind Eddie and I full out laughed at that point.

"Good God you guys. You're acting like you've never seen me in a bathing suit before. This covers way more than that does!" I shook my head and took pity on them. "I was working a distraction job." Donna at the front desk handed me my body slip and I waved it in front of their faces. "Gentlemen I just got ten thousand dollars richer!" They all huddled around me, taking turns to give me a squeeze and chatting about the take down. I felt a hand snake around my waist , pulling me backwards out of the group until I hit a solid mass. I looked back to see Joe grinning at me.

"Cupcake I gotta stick around for paperwork, you wanna hang out or I can call you a cab?"

"Gosh I don't know… hanging out with a bunch of smelly boys?" They all growled playfully at me for that remark. "Or going home, getting a shower, feeding Rex and going to bed?" I held out my hands like I was weighing my options. "I think I'll head home." I turned around and kissed Joe on the cheek. "Thanks for being my back up tonight Joey."

He rolled his eyes at me but didn't let me go. "Of course Cupcake, not that you needed it. Any time your sweet ass needs me I'll be here." I heard the guys snickering at his comment, but it didn't bother me. This is what we did.

"Donna, can you call me a cab please?" No sooner than the words left my lips did I feel that same strange feeling in my neck again. I looked up and saw him leaning against the doorway, with three men huddled around him. The air between us crackled with electricity, or so it felt. _Ranger. What the hell kind of name is that?_

"I was in the Army Babe." He responded, indicating I had yet again spoken my thoughts out loud. I groaned and hit my head against Joe's chest.

"Hey! Your forehead is a dangerous weapon Cupcake, watch it." Joe released his grip on me , taking one finger and raising my chin so my eyes met his. "You okay?" I gulped and nodded, by the look on his face he didn't believe me but I knew he had to get going so I just nodded again.

"Yeah Joe, I'm fine. Come by after you're done here okay?" He agreed, kissing me on the forehead he threw one look at Ranger and walked away with the other three following after him.

I stood there, uncomfortable and turned on as all hell. This man caused me to have hot flashes just by looking at him! Then I caught a glimpse of the other three that surrounded him and I was a goner. Ranger appeared to be Cuban, his coloring was like one of those fancy Starbucks mocha lattes that needed to be enjoyed slowly for hours. _Jesus Steph, I know it's been awhile but calm down!_ His hair was jet black, and was tied back with a leather strip. I had to shake my head to clear the sassy thoughts that kept popping up as I looked at him. When I moved my eyes over I saw who appeared to be his right hand man. I say this because he was standing at his right hand… so… I assumed. He was large. When I say large I mean like the size of a-

"Tank." Rangers voice interrupted my thoughts and I was afraid I was saying my thoughts out loud again.

"Huh?" _Super eloquent there Steph. _

"My name is Tank little girl." The large dark skinned man stepped forward and stuck out his hand towards me.

I walked forward and held out mine, not to be outdone. "Nice to meet you Tank. My name is Stephanie Plum." He grasped my hand and I immediately lost sight of it in his. I was surprised though to find his hand wasn't rough, it actually was really smooth, same as his bald head. His eyes were a deep amber color, which was surprising and made me smile.

"Hey beautiful." The next man stepped in front of me and all but shoved Tank to the side. I had to laugh at that, he didn't seem like the kind of man to allow someone to move him. As my eyes focused on the next God like creature that was in front of me I got the sense of déjà vu when looking at him. My eyes cut to Ranger and then back to the man in front of me, their coloring was the exact same, but this man had the most intense green eyes that reminded me of gorgeous emeralds and spikey blonde hair. "Lester Santos at your service." He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his mouth, his lips trailing over my knuckles slowly. I must have made a whimpering noise because he grinned before letting go.

"You and Ranger?" I asked when I could speak again. I looked at Ranger again, and he had a small smile gracing his face.

"He's my **older** cousin." Lester accentuated the older part which made me giggle and Ranger growl. I felt a stab in my lower abdomen when he made the sound. _Yup. These panties are most definitely ruined._ Lester winked at me and stepped aside as the fourth member of their group took his place.

"Robert Brown, but you can call me Bobby." The man smiled warmly at me and I smiled back, feeling instantly at ease around him. I wonder why that is. He was a shade halfway between Tank and Ranger, and had dark hair. I noticed he had a black bag in his hand. He reached in and pulled out a sucker, handing it to me . I squealed and couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck.

"I needed sugar thank you! How did you know?" I pulled back and ripped off the wrapper, popping it into my mouth and suppressing a moan as the sugar hit my system.

"Um… I'm the team medic. You looked like you were fading fast, I thought it might help." His cheeks turned red, I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought I had been.

"Babe." I glanced at Ranger and his eyes were dark. I turned and looked at everyone else and their eyes all matched his.

"Sorry. I have this thing about sugar. Anyway, really nice to meet all of you, but I need to get home. It's been a long day and I have a date with my shower." I heard all four of them make a low guttural noise and I just rolled my eyes. _What is it about men and showers?_

"It isn't the shower itself, it's the thought of you naked in it that has us all hot and bothered beautiful." Lester piped up and I heard a smacking noise after his comment. "Ow! Fuck Ranger that hurt!"

I decided to have one more moment of fun with them before I left. I sauntered up to Lester, pulling the sucker out of my mouth and motioning for him to bend down in front of me. His eyes widened but he did it, and I placed a kiss on the back of his head before making him stand up again. "Better?"

"Oh hell beautiful, you have no idea."

I waved at them and walked outside as my cab was pulling up. Body receipt in hand, I had the cab take me back home. When I got there I secured it in my cookie jar until I could turn it in tomorrow to my cousin for the check. Grabbing an old TPD shirt I got from Joe, I made my way to the bathroom and turned on the water till the room felt like a sauna. I slipped off the distraction clothes and planted myself under the hot water. I let it rain down on me while my thoughts went back to the four men I had just met. Sure I'm pissed at Vinnie for thinking I couldn't handle Borne on my own, but maybe he gave me a blessing in disguise. Hopefully I run into these guys again… and soon.


	3. A Night to Remember Chapter 3

A/N: I'm glad you all are enjoying this so far!

Chapter 3

**Ranger's POV**

I watched the saucy, brown haired woman saunter out of the precinct and turned my gaze to my men, shaking my head at what I saw. She had left all three speechless and hard, I could see the evidence not being even remotely hidden behind their cargo pants. Growling I realized she had left without me getting her number. I saw the cop she had been hanging on at the club walk past so I stopped him.

"Morelli right?" He turned towards me, eyes squinting .

"Yeah. Can I help you with something?"

"Ranger Manoso. I own Rangeman security based on Haywood, and work as a BEA for Vincent Plum." His eyes flashed when I said that, but I wasn't sure if it was from my name or Vinnie's.

"Yeah I know who you are. You work for Vinnie? So you know Cupcake?" I felt my temperature rise when he called her that, and I felt Tanks hand on my arm. Apparently I wasn't hiding my anger like I thought I was. Morelli laughed at me _what the hell was with people laughing at me tonight?_ "Stephanie and I are best friends, we have known each other since we were in diapers."

My blood pressure lowered a bit and I calmed my breathing. "I need her number." I hadn't thought how I was going to play this. If we worked together I would already have it. He caught on fairly quickly.

"So you don't work with her?" I knew the game was up.

"No… we had never met until tonight at the club. Vinnie gave Rangeman Borne's file too, we had no idea she had gotten it." The look on his face told me a lot.

"Vinnie is pathetic. He employed her because she's his cousin, but he hasn't given her any training or back up. I want better for her but I also know I can't talk her out of the job. In reality she's pretty good at it." He glanced at my team and back at me. "You guys aren't hiring are you? I can't always be with her on dangerous skips, and she's been hurt before." His eyes darted to the door as someone walked in and he nodded at the person that came in.

I turned around and saw my man Cal, who had been the bouncer at the club tonight. He and Morelli must have history, which I will be quizzing him about later. I turned back around and faced the cop. "I'll have to talk to my men about that, you think she would take the job if it was offered?" He snorted loudly and shook his head.

"No fucking way. You've got to make it seem like its **HER** idea, otherwise she'll feel pressured and trapped. She'll go into what we here at the precinct affectionately refer to as "Rhino Mode". Trust me, you don't want to be subjected to that." I heard someone call his name and he held to a finger to me indicating I should wait as he walked away. I turned to my men who all shrugged as he walked back to us. "I have to get this finished. Cupcake likes the score, but she doesn't like the paperwork associated with it." I had to chuckle at that. "Listen I can talk to her, I'll be seeing her later." He handed me his business card. "That's my cell number. You need her, call me. I'll get you together." He nodded again to Cal and left.

I watched his back as he walked away , then stared down at his card. I guess going through her best friend to talk to her was better than nothing. I made the motion with my finger to "wrap it up" and we all walked out of the precinct together, getting in our vehicles and making our way back to Haywood.

**Joseph's POV**

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. Ranger fucking Monoso in the precinct. Word on the street was that Ranger and his men were shady, and I could see why he had gotten that reputation. He was dressed in black from head to toe, and so were his coworkers. I hadn't had any dealings with him or his company, or at least I thought I hadn't. I met Cal a few months back when I arrested him for aggravated battery. I now figured it was a skip that had gotten out of hand, I wonder why he didn't say anything about it to me then? If I had known I would have cut him loose and not made him spend the night in jail. Oh well, what's done is done.

So Cupcake has caught Manoso's eye… and it didn't stop with just him. It looked like his men were all infatuated with her. Not surprising, anyone that meets Stephanie falls in love with her in the first 30 seconds. Hell even I was.

Let me clarify that statement. We met when we were children. We lived in the same neighborhood growing up in Chambersburg New Jersey, or as we call it the 'Burg. Our parents basically pushed us together starting at an early age, we spent every waking moment together and a lot of sleeping ones too. When we were older we landed at a party hosted by my cousin and it got a bit out of hand. We both were drunk, and I made a move on her. She didn't resist, but after the kiss we realized we would be better off as the best friends we always had been, and nothing happened after that. I love that woman with my whole heart, and if working with Ranger and his band of men in black will protect her while she's on the job then I'm all for it. I'll never tell her that I wish we could be more, it just isn't in the cards for us and that's okay. I'm dating a great girl, and even thinking about marrying her.

Pulling my hand across my face I sigh. Paperwork has NEVER been Steph's strong suit, she can't sit still long enough to write out the takedown report. I was just finishing up when I heard a noise from the doorway of my office. Looking up I see Eddie lounging against the frame. "Hey man, what's up?"

"So… Ranger Manoso huh?"

I groan under my breath and nod. "Yeah, Vinnie gave him Borne's file too. Didn't even tell Steph he had the two of them working on it. "

"Bastard. She didn't have to get all dressed up like that…" Eddie's comment and attitude isn't shocking to me. He loves Steph, he tried dating her in high school but she had a thing for the big, strong silent type. So he went for the next best person in his eyes, her cousin Shirley. Now don't get me wrong. He loves his wife and he loves those bratty children they have. He also loves Stephanie and watches out for her every chance he can. I think the sight of her get up tonight was affecting him more than he thought it would.

"You know what would happen if I told her not to dress like that." I shook my head and we both spoke at the same time.

"Rhino Steph."

I nodded "She's ok man." I looked down at my watch and shoved the paperwork into the tray on my desk. "I gotta head over there. I'm late for our date." He gave me a funny look and I had to clarify. "After jobs like this, she goes home to take a shower and wash off the jerk germs, I finish the paperwork. Then I grab a couple of Pino's meatball subs, head over and we watch Ghostbusters and talk. It's our thing." I grab my jacket off the back of my chair and walk out of the office with Eddie on my heels. "If you don't believe me, go ahead and text her. She'll tell you, she's okay."

Eddie shook his head. "No I believe you man. Just… it was hard to see her like that, you know?"

I gave him a look "Yeah man, trust me, I know. " I waved to Donna as I walked out of the precinct and headed to Pino's to pick up our typical after distraction dinner.

**Stephanie's POV**

By the time I was done in the shower I knew Joe would be on his way so I slipped the shirt over my head and attempted to dry my mass of curls. The attempt was futile so I just gathered them up, shoved a ponytail holder around them and called them good to go. Stepping out of the bathroom I was hit with the overwhelming scent of meat , cheese and bread and knew Joe had arrived with our dinner. Walking out into the living room I saw him sitting on the couch, sub midway to his mouth when I cleared my throat loudly. "What, you couldn't even wait for me?"

He grinned and patted the seat next to him, holding out the other sub to me and I raced over, plopped myself down and took a bite. As the combination hit my mouth my eyes rolled back in my head and I moaned, loudly. I have this thing about food. I enjoy it. A LOT. I don't go on many dates because if they take me to dinner and I let out one of these earth shattering noises, they get all flustered and don't know what to do. Even Joe sometimes gets affected by it, although he's way more used to it now and is basically immune. I look over and see him shaking his head.

"Whhh..." _Good God let me swallow this first. _ I chew the bite and swallow and try that again. "What? You know I love food. Especially this sandwich… I swear Pino's is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth." I hear him groan beside me but he wisely keeps his comment to himself as we finish our dinner. Afterwards I clean up the trash and come back, and Joe hands me the remote. I lean against his side with his arm wrapped around me and let the sounds of Ghostbusters take me away.

Halfway through the movie Joe pauses it , so I sit up and look at him. "What's up Joey?"

I see him gnawing on his lip, which makes me nervous. He usually just tells me whatever's on his mind, he isn't afraid or nervous around me so this must be big. "Ranger talked to me after you left."

My eyes went wide and I felt that stab in my lower abdomen at the sound of his name. "Um… okay? And?"

Joe grabbed my hand and pulled it into his lap, running his thumb over my knuckles. "He told me that Vinnie gave him the file for Borne too."

I was still confused. _He isn't telling me something. He looks guilty… why would he look guilty?_ "Yeah you and I both know Vinnie is a jack ass. So he didn't think I could handle it. Well, he was wrong and I'm ten grand richer tomorrow! But that's not what's bothering you." I use my free hand to turn his face towards me so I can lock eyes with him. I always loved his eyes, a shade of mahogany brown , they were always so full of love and support when they looked at me. "Joey what is it?"

"Manoso asked for your number." He mumbled softly and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

"He did?" I managed to squeak out. "Did you… I mean…" he shook his head.

"I gave him mine, said if he wanted to talk to you he could go through me for now. I hope that's okay." He pulled me back to his side and his fingers trailed up and down my arm. "He likes you Cupcake. I just want you to be cautious. Word on the street is he and his crew aren't the most upstanding citizens. He has some criminals working for him, and I don't want you to get hurt."

I relax against his side and pat him on his knee. "He probably finds me amusing. I'm kind of a legend around these here parts." He laughs and I continue "If he calls I'll meet up with him. If he doesn't that's okay too." It dawns on me that Joe hadn't told me about the bouncer at the club. "Hey how did you know that guy tonight? The one at the door of the club, Cal?"

"He's part of the criminal element I was talking about. He works for Ranger, and I arrested him for aggravated battery a few months ago."

I can see that. "That doesn't mean he's a bad guy though Joe. Maybe he had to…"

"Beat the guy into a pulp? Yeah maybe. Now that I know he works for Rangeman I'm guessing it was a takedown of a skip that got out of hand. But his men are so secretive that I didn't know at the time, so he spent the night in lockup."

He presses play on the movie and our conversation ceases. I drift off to sleep hearing the sounds of my favorite lines in the movie. **"Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes... The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"**


	4. A Night to Remember Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you for all the warm fuzzy feeling reviews! So heads up, this won't be a fast story, but I'm not going to drag it out forever either. Hopefully you guys enjoy! Fyi: this is rated M for a reason. ;) just a warning! Also if you are a tart fan check out my other stories, one is complete the other is on process.****So this chapter kind of went on and on! I made the executive decision to cut it in half after I couldn't stop writing. Hopefully it flows ok!**

Chapter 4

Stephanie's POV

I woke up the next morning curled up in my bed with an arm hanging over me. It took me a second to remember the previous night, and why I had someone in bed with me. I rolled over and saw Joe's face, soft and comforting. I got lost looking at his features when he spoke without opening his eyes.

"I smell a fire burning. What are you thinking about so hard Cupcake?" he opened one eye and smiled at me.

"Nothing." My face burned with embarrassment that he caught me staring at him. Joe and I don't have anything romantic or sexual going on at all, but it didn't stop me from admiring his face and body laying next to me in bed. Sue me, it's been a while! He made a noise like he didn't believe me and was about to say something when his phone buzzed. He reached across me to pick it up and sighed.

"Duty calls. Can I grab a quick shower?" he asked like he needed to or I would say no and got out of bed.

"Of course. Extra clothes are in your drawer." He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the nose before grabbing items out of the drawer and going to the bathroom. There were too many nights that he would stay over and be called in to work early so I just gave him a drawer here. I have one at his house too, although we hardly ever stay there. I try and keep that place for him and his girlfriend, even though she and I are friends I doubt she would like seeing me there in the morning. I heard his phone ding and on instinct I grabbed it to check the message.

**I thought about what you said, and would like to set up a meeting with Stephanie if you could arrange it. Let me know- Ranger**

What the hell? I remember Joe saying he told Ranger to contact him if he wanted to see me, but what was this about "I thought about what you said"?? This seems business like, not friendly. I heard Joe turn the water off so I set the phone back down and start pulling out clothes for the day. I feel him slip behind me and his hands at my waist. When I turn around I see him dressed, hair wet and a puppy dog look in his eyes. I had to laugh. "Let me guess, you want coffee?" He grinned at me and nodded so I padded off to the kitchen to start a pot. When its done I bring him the cup and start to get changed.

"Uh… Cupcake did my phone ding when I was in the shower?" I couldn't stop the redness from creeping onto my cheeks.

"Yeah. I checked to make sure it wasn't an emergency…" I trailed off as I sat on the bed pulling on my jeans. I felt him sit next to me and put his hand on my arm.

"Steph, stop. It isn't what you think." I heard him hiss as I glared at him.

"Really Joe? Its not? Cause to me it seems you're bargaining with a stranger about me. What's he want with me huh?" I could feel the Rhino mode coming in full force. Joe could too, so he wrapped his arms around me tight and pulled me into his lap so I couldn't move.

"I mentioned to Ranger how I thought you were an excellent BEA, but that Vinnie did you a disservice by not giving you any training. Cupcake you don't carry your weapon, you hate to run and you have been hurt before when I wasn't with you." I struggled against him so he would let me go but he just held tight. "I love you Stephanie. I don't want you injured, and I think if you worked with Ranger he could help you become an even better bounty hunter." His words caused me to stop struggling and I sat back against his chest thinking.

He was right. I was pretty good at my job, even with the minimal training I received (by training I mean Connie his office manager explaining what I had to do) but I could become great. Joe finally loosened his grip on me and I started gnawing on my thumbnail as I put together a plan. "Okay Joe. Tell him I'll meet with him." I stood up and grabbed a shirt from my closet, slipping it on and then bent to grab my shoes when I heard him make a noise. I straightened and looked at him. He had a big grin on his face and his phone in his hand.

"Done. Now I gotta get to work, I sent him your number okay?" he stood in front of me and gave me a quick kiss before turning around and leaving. He was already out the door before I realized he hadn't even grabbed his coffee. "Three… two… one…" I counted down and sure enough he came back in, grabbed the cup from my hand kissing me again and was back out the door. I grinned and finished getting ready when I heard my phone ding. Checking it I saw a message from the man in black himself.

**Good morning Stephanie. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Please put this number on your speed dial and know that whenever you need back up my men and I will be happy to assist you. If you are willing I would like to meet with you today. Please come to our office around 11. Look forward to seeing you again. -Ranger**

The tone of the message was completely professional, so why did I have a major hot flash when I read it? He followed it with the directions of their office building and I recognized the address as a building I walk by a lot but never noticed. I guess that was the point. Checking the time I decided I had enough to get to the bond office, pick up my check and hit the bank before meeting him so I stopped to drop Rex a few cheerios to enjoy and headed out.

**Ranger's POV**

After speaking with Morelli at the precinct, I went back to my penthouse on floor 7 of our office on Haywood and took a long cold shower, then met with my three core members in my office on 5. They all agreed it would benefit both Stephanie and our company to have her come work with us, although I'm not sure if their decisions were made on what she looked like in her distraction outfit and how she affected them, or them actually believing it was a good idea. Either way I was adding their answers in the plus column for us hiring Stephanie. Not that there was a negative about the situation at all… maybe one.

The woman could turn us to stone without a second thought. Would I be okay with my men thinking about her like that every day? Seeing her in her distraction get ups, sitting near her in meetings… now that I knew her and Morelli were nothing but friends my jealous steak had died down a bit, but I knew it would flare up again as soon as she met the rest of Rangeman … would I be alright with it? _What the hell is wrong with you? She hasn't even agreed to work with us, and I'm mapping out our future together._ I shook my head and decided to call it a night.

I woke up the next morning to find my hand around my dick absentmindedly stroking myself. It was obvious I has been thinking about my blue eyed babe all night long, I could hammer nails with my cock. I jumped up and decided a cold shower was exactly what I needed (again) before trying to function the rest of the day, but not before I sent the detective a message.

**I thought about what you said, and would like to set up a meeting with Stephanie if you could arrange it. Let me know- Ranger**

After my shower I decided to make my way down to our gym when I heard my phone ding and a message came across from Detective Morelli. I grinned as I read it.

**Steph has agreed to meet you. Call or text her at this number and set it up. And no need to worry about Rhino mode, I already was privy to it. Good luck, and take it easy on her. She's the most important thing in the world to me. -Morelli**

_She agreed!! Yes! _My inner child was doing backflips on the thought of her showing up at Haywood. I thought about my message to her while doing a few miles on the treadmill, and when I was done I made my way back upstairs to my apartment and sent her the message.

**Good morning Stephanie. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. Please put this number on your speed dial and know that whenever you need back up my men and I will be happy to assist you. If you are willing I would like to meet with you today. Please come to our office around 11. Look forward to seeing you again. -Ranger**

I took a quick shower to rinse the sweat of the gym away and got redressed in our standard uniform of all black before calling my team to the conference room again. I gave them the update on Stephanie, that she would be coming by and when, and to make sure they were available at that time. I didn't want her to be overwhelmed , but also figured I would need all four of us there for any questions or concerns she might have.

After a bite to eat and a few meetings the time came for her to be here, and I heard my phone buzz in my office.

"Yo."

"Ranger there's a woman named Stephanie Plum here to see you? Says she has an appointment?"

"Bring her up to 5 Hal, we will meet her there." I hung up and gathered my other three core members, and we all made our way to the elevators to meet our newest prospective employee.


	5. A Night to Remember Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry the last one was going to be super long if I had kept Steph's part in it too so I moved it to it's own chapter! Actually this is going to be split again dang it I can't stop!**

Chapter 5

**Stephanie's POV**

I was grinning widely by the time I made it to Ranger's office building. I had my deposited my check into the bank, and had already made a list of the what I needed to get after this meeting (groceries , shopping spree at the mall, etc.) The look on Vinnie's face had been priceless when I showed up with the body receipt, and I was ecstatic.

I walked into the lobby of the building and approached the desk. Two guys were sitting there, and one raised his eyes to me as I got close. "Hi there, Stephanie Plum to see Ranger?"

His face didn't move when he picked up a phone and dialed Ranger to let him know I was here. When he hung up I could see his cheeks were tinged pink , he was embarrassed? Not really sure why. I looked down at myself and made sure I wasn't in anything too revealing. _Jean's, t shirt, pumps. Nope. _ I smiled at him and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "I'm Hal. Welcome to Rangeman. Follow me please." He looked to the other man who nodded and then Hal got up and moved to the elevator. That's when I got a good look at him. _Holy hell!_ Hal, or Halasauraus as he will now be referred to when I talk about him to other people, was about 6'5 and built like a brick house. He had blonde hair that was cut short , appeared he was military. He had the most piercing blue eyes and was staring at me. _Oh shit he was talking to me!_

"So sorry what was that?" When he smiled slightly at me again I caught sight of two adorable dimples in his cheeks and he repeated himself.

"What brings you to Rangeman?"

"Oh! I met Ranger, Tank, Lester and Bobby last night at the police station. I'm a bond enforcement agent and my friend suggested I get together with them on some training to make me better at my job."

Hal nodded. "You came to the right spot. The guys here are all really good at what they do." We got in the elevator and he pushed the button to shut the door.

"How did you and Ranger meet? And what do you do here? Besides escort people to their destinations?" I grinned at him and there was that blush again back with a vengeance.

"I was in the Rangers with him. Actually most of the company was." _Oh shit. That means these guys are going to all be super athletic and I'm so NOT._ "Besides working in the security part of the company I used to be a trained pilot, so I fly our plane."

"Wait, you have a plane?" I realized I actually had no idea what this company did. _Maybe I should have did some research. _

"No biggie." He responded to my unspoken comment. "If you have any questions just ask. The guys here are all really nice. They may take some time to becoming open, it's a bit out of our nature to talk about what we did, and some of it we can't tell anyone. But I'm sure you'll find us all pretty easy to get along with." The doors opened and I saw all four guys I had met last night standing outside of it waiting for me.

"Thanks Hal, I appreciate it. See you around?" I stepped off the elevator and did a finger wave to him and he smiled back and nodded before the doors shut again. Ranger stepped forward , placing his hand on the small of my back and guiding me to a conference room. I felt my inner fire alarm start going haywire when he touched me, but I tried desperately not to show how flustered I was.

We sat down at the table, me versus the four guys that caused my heart to so flip flops, and I gulped. _How did I think this was a good idea?_ Ranger was the first one to speak. "First off, let me say how glad I am that you decided to meet with us. I think this could be a mutually beneficial arrangement if you are willing to put out the effort, I know we are." I nodded and he continued. "We have men here that specialize in different areas of training, so you would have someone helping you out with every aspect of the job."

"Do you have any sort of training Little Girl?" Tank asked and my eyes darted to him.

"No, not really. I mean… I know how to use a gun, but I hate it. What other training do I need?" The men shared looks and I got this sinking suspicion I wasn't going to like this.

"Weapons training is a must. We have Ram for that. He's the best sniper I've ever worked with so he will be perfect to show you how to shoot and get you comfortable with your weapon." Ranger waved his hand at me and I just stared at him. "Do you have your gun on you?" _OH! He wanted my weapon. _ I nodded and took it out of my bag, placing it in his hand.

He shook his head and handed it to Tank. "That's not the right weapon for you. You can't grip it right can you ?" I shook my head _how did he know? I hate that thing. _ "I can tell, it's too big for your hand size. We have multiple weapons downstairs in the range you can try out. Do you have your concealed carry permit?" I nodded again and he looked pleased.

"Physically how are you?" Bobby asked. I turned towards him and squinted.

"What do you mean?"

"When was your last physical?" He got red or as red as he could with that complexion , I guess because he thought it might be too private of a thing to ask, or maybe because I was a woman.

"Oh! Tip top shape, I had one a few months ago. I'll be honest with you, I have a kind of crappy diet, and I **REALLY** hate exercise but I'm doing better. I can run without getting winded. Don't expect me up at the ass crack of dawn without some sort of reward though, or you'll see a very cranky Stephanie coming for you." All four laughed at that.

"Well as you know I'm the team medic, so I help the guys with their diets and exercise programs, as well as stitch them up after any injuries they occur on the job. So I'll be here for you on that capacity as well." I nodded and smiled at him.

"Just tell me I can keep my Boston Cremes and Tasty Kakes and you've got a deal." I saw Ranger _roll his eyes really?? Batman rolls his eyes?_

"Um, I'm sure you can have them in moderation, how about that?" Bobby chuckled and I nodded again.

"Lester what do you do?" I turned to the man who had been silent so far and was met with a huge grin.

"Beautiful I thought you would never ask! I teach self defense. So you and I will be working together in the gym, choreographing out how take downs might go."

"Really? I've never had one become physical before…" then I think back to the last skip I had been hurt on and bit my lip.

"You sure there beautiful? To me it appears you have. Wanna talk about that?"

I sighed and nodded. "Joe can't come with me on every case, I mean he's got a job to do. The file said Walter Browning was a sweet old man who had been arrested for shoplifting a ham at the local grocery store. How was I supposed to know the sweet old man was about 300 lbs and did NOT want to go back to jail. He ran, or… tried. He had some sort of episode when I caught him that caused him to fall… ontopofme." I rushed that part in hopes that they wouldn't catch it but of course they all did. All four tried really hard not to break their blank faces I could tell, but in the end they busted out laughing.

I stuck my bottom lip out in a pout and they stopped immediately. "Shit sorry beautiful. We weren't laughing at you." Lester spoke up and I shook my head at him.

"No it's okay. I'd have laughed if I was watching it happen to someone else. The doctor at the hospital thought it was humorous too." I sighed. "Okay I guess that could be a useful skill to learn. What else?"

"Do you know what this company does?" Ranger sat back, his arms crossed staring at me.

"Um, no. Sorry. I didn't think to Google you before I came to the meeting." That caused all four of them to crack a smile.

"We run the security for most of Trenton out of this office. So personal homes and businesses get security systems along with monitoring 24 hours a day 7 days a week. We have someone watching all our buildings that we secure to make sure there are no issues. We have offices here, in Boston and Miami as well. Besides the security as you know we also do the Bond Enforcement for Vinnie. Our suggestion is that you come to work for us full time, and we will have Vinnie run all his bonds through us. You can take the lower ones and we can help back you up. The higher bonds we will split with you."

"Oh!" I interrupted "Speaking of that." I opened up my wallet and held out an envelope. "This is yours."

All four men glanced at each other before looking at the item I was holding. "What's this babe?" Ranger asked and I shook it at him so he would take it.

"Your cut of Borne's bond. I couldn't in good conscience keep the entire amount when you were hired to do the job too. So here, 5 grand is yours. I did cash I wasn't sure who to have the check written out to. " The looks on their faces were something I'll never forget. A mixture of lust and awe showed on each of them before they slammed their blank stares on again.

"No, that's not ours. You earned it all, fair and square." He held his hands up and refused to take it. I glared at him but he wouldn't back down so I put the envelope back in my bag plotting how I could slip this somewhere they wouldn't notice till I had left.

"That won't work Little Girl. We are acutely aware of our surroundings, you might as well not even try." Tank smiled and winked at me.

"Dammit! Did I say it out loud? I swear I have to stop doing that."

I could see smiles ghosting each of their faces "No actually you didn't, I guessed by your facial expressions." Tank responded . _Oh. Great so they have ESP as well as being extremely hot. _

"As I was saying, we feel like that would be the best arrangement for all parties. Does that work for you?" Ranger continued and I nodded.

"Anything to get out of that office." I shuddered. "Vinnie may be my cousin but I have nightmares because of the sounds I hear coming from behind his door. If I can stay away I'll be extremely grateful." They all shared the same shudder I did. "So this all sounds fantastic, and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. What's the catch?"

Again the shared looks around the table. "Well Little Girl, you are our only female employee besides Ella, so it may take some adjusting for the men to have you around."

"Who's Ella?" _Only female employee?? Huh… I mean I guess that wouldn't be horrible. _

"Mine and Lester's Aunt, and our housekeeper here at Haywood. Her husband , our uncle Luis, does the maintenance for the building." Ranger replied. "Most of the men live here in the building, so she cooks and cleans for us."

"You guys live and work here? Do I have to move in?" _There's that other shoe._

"No Babe. Not if you don't want to. We always have a vacant room available on 4 if you ever need a place, but you can live at your own apartment if that's what you prefer. Although we would like to check it and add security for you if you decide to join us."

My buildings security is a joke, so I agreed to that pretty quickly. "I wouldn't mind having a back up place to stay if I need it, but for now I'll keep my apartment. You don't think it'll be a problem right? Me being here?" They all shook their heads adamantly.

"No way beautiful. These guys, they may be guarded at first. It's just due to their backgrounds. Give them some time and they'll all come around."

I took a deep breath in. "Okay …well then, when do I start ?"

I was immediately pulled out of my chair by Tank who squeezed me tightly before passing me off to Lester then Bobby. Finally I landed in front of Ranger who leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. "You're accepting? Really?" I nodded.

"I would have to be a fool not to. I'm just afraid you guys will decide I'm not worth it and get tired of me." I hung my head and heard them all growl. When I lifted my head Ranger was staring at me with intense eyes.

"Babe. That will never happen." We stared at each other for a moment before Lester came over and threw his arm around my shoulders breaking the intensity.

"How would you like to meet the team beautiful?"


	6. A Night to Remember Chapter 6

**A/N: I couldn't stop writing ! So I broke there, next up will be her meeting the rest of Rangeman! Whatcha think so far? **

Chapter 6

**Stephanie's POV**

I was a little nervous (okay, A LOT nervous) when Lester asked me that question. How would I like to meet the team? I guess since I was going to be working with these guys regularly I probably should, but I couldn't help but feel worried. Would they like me? Would they think I was some bumbling girl that couldn't do my job? I looked up and saw Lester's emerald eyes staring at me. "Oh, yeah that would be fine." He squinted at me for a second like he didn't believe me but ignored it. Pulling me out the door we hit a wall of black. Not a literal wall, but it might as well had been they we were all built like one.

One of the faces I recognized from the club. I saw Cal, the bouncer and couldn't help but smile at him which he returned. The rest were foreign. I was acutely aware that Lester still had his arm around me, but it dropped to my waist as he pointed out each man. "Beautiful, these are some of the men of Rangeman. Ram, Hector, Cal, Binkie, Bones, Zip, Zero, Vince , Woody and you met Hal downstairs at reception. We have a few more that you'll meet later. Guys, this is Stephanie Plum. She's joining the company today as a BEA. We are going to help train her."

The men all stepped forward and shook my hand, while giving me a smile. I relaxed a bit feeling Lester standing next to me, but all the guys were extremely intimidating. Ram, he was the one that was going to help me with my firearms training. "I'm sorry in advance." I told him apologetically . "I carry a gun, but I stuck at shooting. You have your work cut out for you with me."

He just grinned widely at me. "Don't you worry about a thing, I'll take good care of you. We will find the perfect weapon for you."

"Hector does our installs. You can shadow him after awhile and help out if you're up for it Little Girl." Tank came up next to me and pulled me from Lester's grasp, then pointed out the scariest man in the group.

Hector didn't look like the others (military), he looked like he had life experience (gang member). Standing at just over my height he was the same color as Lester and Ranger, but his face is what drew me in. He had two tear drop tattoos on his cheek. I couldn't help myself, I moved away from Tank and walked up to him, running my fingers over the tattoos. All the men seemed to hold their breath, I guess to see if he snapped at me. "I'm sorry for whatever experience you had to get these." I whispered and I felt his hard body relax.

"Gracias _florecita_." He responded and I heard everyone let out the breath they were holding at once. I looked back at Tank and his face was one of beauty. His mouth was open and I had to giggle.

"You'll catch flies with that Big Guy." The men all chuckled and he snapped it shut. "What did Hector call me?" I was going to need to learn Spanish pretty quickly.

"He called you little flower. You don't mind the terms of endearment we have been using do you? If so they'll stop." Ranger had been quiet up until that point and I shook my head at him.

"Not at all. I mean, my best friend calls me Cupcake, I think I can handle whatever names you guys come up with." I looked to the next man and grinned. "Hi Cal!"

He smiled back at me and leaned down to give me a hug like we were old friends. When he pulled back I kissed the flaming skull on his forehead so he didn't feel left out. "Angel, nice to see you again. Morelli treating you okay?" I heard grumbles coming from the group and it made me laugh out loud but I just nodded.

The other men were introduced quickly. Cal and Hal (apparently they were a pair) will teach me defensive driving, and the rest had their own specialized areas that I could work with them on. By the time we were done I was exhausted and we hadn't even done any actual work!

"So Little Girl, when do you want to start?" Tank pulled me close to his side again and I stared into the eyes of all the men huddled around me.

"Um, how about tomorrow morning?" I looked down at my outfit again and realized I wasn't exactly dressed for any sort of training or field work. They must have sensed my hesitation because a bunch of them spoke at once.

"You can change here."

"There's a spare room on four."

"Ella will get you workout gear."

I was getting dizzy with the voices coming at me. When I looked up I locked eyes with Ranger and a smile ghosted across his face before he spoke. "The lady will start tomorrow. Everyone back to work!" The crowd grumbled but dispersed fairly quickly. I was left with the four men I had grown comfortable with, and my stomach decided then would be a good time to awaken. They all grinned at me. "Hungry babe?"

I nodded sheepishly. "I didn't have breakfast." I responded shrugging.

Ranger pulled me from Tanks grasp and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Let's feed the beast before it attacks us all then." He winked at me and my knees buckled a bit before I regained my composure . "We have a place we love to go, if you trust us?"

_Why not? They wouldn't kill their new employee would they?_ "Of course! Lead the way gentlemen!" The five of us make it down to the garage and I stop dead in my tracks at the sight of the vehicle sitting in front of me. "Oh. My. God." I said low and breathy. I walk over to the beautiful piece of machinery sitting in front of me and I have to stop myself from running my fingers along its frame. I hear chuckles coming from behind me and when I turn around all four guys are grinning.

"See something you like Babe?" Ranger's eyes meet mine and I bite back a moan as I look back at the car.

"Uh, YES. This is Porsche 911 Turbo. 3.8 liter twin turbo engine, 580 horsepower , this thing can hit 60 mph in under 2.9 seconds… I've had dreams about this car… actually I've had multiple dreams about it. Me driving one, me having sex in one… " I trailed off when I saw their faces get tight and their pants get even tighter. "Shit, sorry. But this car is seriously amazing. Whose is it?"

Ranger stepped forward. "Mine." He threw the keys at me and I yelped as I caught them. "Wanna take it for a spin?"

I knew then I was a goner.

**Ranger's POV**

The moment we stepped into the garage and she saw my car I knew she would be mine. That may sound cavemanesque but it was the truth. The Porsche is a sight to behold in and of itself, but then we watched her try to hold back from caressing it , her eyes wide , and she began spouting off statistics for my baby I knew we would be perfect together. I took a huge chance when I threw her the keys and asked if she wanted to drive, but the look on her face would have been reward enough. Except that when we got in and she started the car, she rolled her eyes back and moaned, deeply, like I imagined she would during sex. As if I wasn't having a hard (pun intended) enough time being around her already today, that sealed the deal. Bobby, Lester and Tank took one of our SUVs and after Stephanie gathered herself she placed the car into drive and followed them out.

"Are you sure this is okay? Ranger this car is worth… like… a crap ton of money. And you don't know me from Eve, are you positive you want me driving it?" She kept her eyes forward the entire time, going slower than the posted speed but I could tell she wanted to let it fly.

"Yes Babe, I trust you completely." I could see her disappointment when we arrived at our destination not too long after we left Haywood, but I would make it up to her soon enough. As we got out of the car ahead handed me back the keys and took another longing look at the car, then followed my men into the diner.

Shorty's was our favorite place to grab something to eat. The owner was a good friend, and he always had room for us no matter how many of us there were. When we go out as a large group a lot of the time people are intimidated and shy away but here we are always welcomed with open arms.

"Ranger! How are my favorite men in black today?" Shorty, the owner of said establishment came bounding over to us to give each of us a slap on the back and a handshake. It wasn't until he greeted all four of us that he saw we had a fifth member of our group. "Pardon me , who is the beautiful lady with you knuckleheads?" Steph turned bright red but stuck her hand out and shook his.

"Shorty this is Stephanie Plum. She's our newest employee. Babe, this is Shorty Anderson, he owns the place." He leaned over and kissed her knuckles and she giggled while the rest of us rolled our eyes and laughed. "Watch out for him babe, he's a ladies man." I ribbed him and he just ignored me.

"Miss Plum it is an extreme honor to have you in my diner. What are you in the mood for? If you don't see what you like on the menu you list let me know and I'll make you whatever your heart desires." She giggled again as we sat at a table towards the back of the restaurant where there was a mirror behind one side on the wall. That way the people that couldn't face with their back against the wall could at least see If someone was coming up behind them. Old Ranger trick, and something we do in any restaurant we go to.

"I'm sure I'll find something amazing, thank you. And please, call me Steph or Stephanie." She picked up a menu and started looking through it as Shorty grinned at her.

"Of course. I'll let you check the menu and be right back." He gave me a look like I should follow him so I excused myself from the table and did. We entered his kitchen and he pointed to the stool sitting next to the counter, meaning I should sit. You don't ignore Shorty so I did.

"What's up?"

"That woman. She's going to be a Bail Enforcement Agent?"

"Actually she already is one. She works for her cousin Vincent Plum, but he didn't give her any training so we've asked her to come work with us. That way she can get the training and back up she needs when she goes after skips. Why?" His face was contorted , like he was thinking about something that was troubling him.

"She's special Carlos. You'll watch out for her right?" Ah, so Shorty was already taken with her too.

"Of course, that's why I offered her the job. No need to worry Shorty. Between all of the men at my company I think she's covered. Also she's best friends with Joseph Morelli, the vice cop. So she's good."

He nodded and walked out of the kitchen, I guess our conversation was complete. When we got back to the table my men were laughing and Stephanie had her head in her hands. "What's wrong Babe?"

"Oh, nothing some food won't fix bossman!" Tank cackled. "It sounds like the Kraken might release soon though so we better hurry up and order!"


	7. A Night to Remember Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far! Thank you so much for all the positive comments ! The updates might not come as fast as they have this weekend , but I promise to keep going as fast as I can! Also is this going to be a Steph/Ranger HEA? Maaayybeeee….****Link to Steph's dress: https/gooDOTgl/images/UDjmTc (we can't use actual links so replace word DOT with a .)**

Chapter 7

**Stephanie's POV **

By the time lunch was done I had successfully made all the guys super uncomfortable with my moaning (again, I like food!) and had found a new friend in Shorty. He told me I could come by any time, even without the guys which made them all grumble and me grin. Ranger let me drive the car back to the office, and I swear I had a small orgasm when I revved the engine. I was definitely going to need to let that baby loose on a highway somewhere at some point, the poor thing was just begging to go fast.

When we got back to the office I met Ella and her husband Luis, who were the sweetest people I swear I've ever had the pleasure of meeting! Ella was so lovely, and said she would have everything I needed for my job ready for me in the morning. The guys begged to take me out later tonight to celebrate me agreeing to work with them, so I signed the contracts after lunch and made my way back to my apartment to get myself ready for later. When I got home I called Joe and gave him the update .

"Morelli."

"Hey Joey! Got a sec?"

"Hey Cupcake! Just barely. I'm about to run to a briefing what's up?"

"I can't do pizza and beer tonight. The meeting went really well, and I'm starting work at Rangeman in the morning so the guys asked to take me out tonight to celebrate!" I was searching my closet to see what I could wear that didn't scream 'distraction' and was more 'out to have a good time'. _ I may need to run to the mall…_

"That's great Cupcake! What did Ranger say? They're going to train you?"

"Yes, I'm actually going to work for their company and they're going to have Vinnie run all the skips through them, he already agreed. So they can assist me with mine, AND train me to help with their higher bonds! I met a bunch of them today and they're all really nice guys Joe. I think this will work out great." _No too slutty… not slutty enough… yup gotta go shopping! _

"Steph that's great, I'm so happy for you! Listen I gotta run but I'll talk to you later okay? And call me if you need a ride tonight, got it?"

I grinned and couldn't help but respond with "SIR YES SIR!" which made him laugh.

"Bye Cupcake." Came his reply and he disconnected. I grabbed my purse and headed out to the mall.

A few hours later I had found the outfit. A deep blue dress with little eyelet sleeves that fit me perfectly, and a small scoop neckline. It hit me mid thigh and was just sexy enough to go dancing in, but modest enough I could wear it to an office job if I had one. I got showered , plucked, and primped to perfection, and did my hair up with a few soft ringlets loose and hanging down on my neck. It was a miracle the curls worked the way I wanted them to! I paired the dress with 3 inch pumps on the same shade as the dress, and did minimal makeup except the mascara. That I laid on thick, since I use it as a confidence booster. When I was done I checked myself in the mirror and smiled wide. _Holy hell I look good! _ About that time I heard a knock on my door and without thinking I yelled "Come on in! Its open!" About 5 seconds after that I realized Joe wasn't coming over, so I just told a complete stranger my door was unlocked. I started to panic until I heard voices on the other side of the door that I recognized I went to open it and was met by the sight of three of my new friends/coworkers who I had humorously referred to as my BLT (Bobby , Lester and Tank) at lunch. They got a kick out of that.

I know my eyes got glossy at the sight of them, but whose wouldn't ? They were all dressed in jeans but had paired them with dress shirts , Bobby had on a deep red color, Lester a green to match his eyes and Tank a deep purple. They all looked delicious enough to eat so it took me a second before I could even acknowledge they were there. When I heard them all make that deep growling noise I snapped out of my stupor and grinned at them. "Hey boys! I thought I was meeting you at the club?" I stood there for a second then realized they were staring at me just like I had been at them a moment earlier. "Guys? You wanna come in?" I stepped aside and that finally broke their trance.

"Holy shit beautiful. You look amazing!" Lester swept in, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"That color matches your eyes perfectly sweetheart." Bobby walked in after and did the same gesture.

"Tank?" He wasn't moving, his eyes had changed from amber to the color of dark chocolate. I felt a little embarrassed, thinking something was wrong with my outfit.

"No Little Girl, nothings wrong. You look breathtaking." He finally spoke, his voice low and leaned down to give me a kiss on my forehead. "You all set?" I nodded and dropped a few crunchies in Rex's cage to him before grabbing my wrap and purse.

"Where's Ranger?" I asked trying not to sound too desperate. The guys smiled.

"He will meet us there." Tank responded and when we got to my parking lot I saw the Turbo sitting there.

_Eeeep!! _ "Why is Rangers car here?" I cringed as the words left my mouth. I didn't care, I just wanted to feel that horse power again.

"Its your chariot for the night beautiful." Lester opened the passenger side door for me and I shook my head. _There was no way…_ "Get in before we leave you here!" I slid down into the seat and closed my eyes, breathing in the leather smell. I remember hearing car doors opening and closing but all I felt was the butteriness (is that even a word?) of the seats against my bare skin. I know I moaned, it felt so damn good. When I finally opened my eyes again I saw Lester in the drivers seat, his eyes had turned to a deep shade of evergreen, and I could see his breathing was shallow. I looked behind me and Bobby and Tank had the same look in their eyes.

"Sorry guys, you don't understand how much I love this car." I blush and wait for the engine to start up. When it does I moan again, and soon Lester zips out of my parking lot and down the highway to our destination.

About 30 minutes later we arrive at the club, too soon for my taste. I was enjoying the car ride immensely. We pull up and the valets eyes open wide at the sight of the car he's about to go park. _Yup, right there with ya kiddo. _ Lester grabs my hand and helps me out of the passenger side, and then we all walk to the front door. The line is as long as the one from the previous night at Dante's but again we breeze right past the front door much to the disappointment of the people waiting.

Once inside I hear a shout and feel a hand on my back, guiding me to a table filled with honest to goodness yumminess. I swear the temperature in the club ratcheted up about 20 degrees when I saw them. All the men I met that afternoon were there, plus a few I hadn't met yet. "Did you guys leave anyone back at the office?" I asked and they laughed.

"We had a few contract workers fill in tonight Little Girl." I felt Tank lean in close and whisper in my ear. "Everyone wanted to help you celebrate." _Yay me! _

The evening was filled with dancing, stories of Rangeman and what I could expect from working there, and drinking. Oh the drinking. The guys made sure I was never empty handed, and by a few hours in I was toast. I was on the dance floor with Lester when I felt that sensation on my neck again. Sure enough, I looked up and found Ranger staring at me. Dressed in all black, from his head to his feet, I lick my lips involuntarily at the sight of him. He made his way over, never breaking my gaze, and tapped his cousin on the shoulder. Without a word Lester grumbled and backed away, handing me off to Ranger. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close, and felt his hands grip my hip bones. When I looked into his eyes they were black, like onyx.

"Hi." _Very good Steph. Words are good._

He didn't say anything for a moment until he bent down and I felt his breath hot against my ear. "You look beautiful babe." _Awww hell. I knew I should have gone commando tonight, there went my panties._ "The men treating you alright?"

I nodded "Oh yes! I'm having so much fun, thank you for this Ranger. They are all being so incredibly sweet and kind and hot. I mean…" _okay enough alcohol for me! _

He just grinned at me. "I think we should cut you off before you can't make it to your first day of work tomorrow. And please, when we aren't in the office call me Carlos or Ric." I must have given him a funny look because he just shook his head at me and explained "My actual name is Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Ranger is a street name given to me because of my work I did with the government." I just look at him with wide eyes and feel myself biting my lip. Just when I think his eyes couldn't get any darker…

"Of course, Ric. Thank you again, its been a really fantastic night." We are interrupted by Tank saying that they were wrapping up the evening and wanted to get me back home safe. Ranger shoots him a look but I decide its probably best I go now before I do something I'll regret tomorrow (today? I'm not sure the time. ) Leaning in close I feel how hard his body is against mine and I almost give in, but I give him a kiss on the cheek and whisper in his ear "Thank you for an amazing unofficial first day at work. I'll see you tomorrow, boss…" before turning around and walking away with Tank.

We make it back to the car and it hits me how exhausted I really am, I fall asleep before we hit the highway. By the time we get back to my apartment I'm out completely, and only wake up when I'm back in my apartment and feel myself being put to bed. Blinking I see my three guys standing there staring down at me, smiling. "Hey… sorry I didn't realize how tired I was." I stand back up and give each one of them a kiss and hug. "Thanks guys for taking me out, and taking care of me. What time do I need to be in tomorrow?"

"Usually we start early-" Les started and I must have rolled my eyes because all three laughed as he continued "But none of the guys will be up at their usual times so let's do around 10." I got another kiss and hug from Tank and Bobby as they walked out leaving me with Lester. "You need help changing beautiful?"

I laughed "You just want to say you got me out of my dress!" and he gave me a wolf grin.

"You know it!" He turned me around and unzipped my dress for me, then graciously turned around while I chucked it into the corner on a chair I had sitting there and pulled on a pair of boy shorts and a tank top. When I was decent again he turned back around and walked with me to the bathroom, while I washed my face , brushed my teeth and took down my hair, then followed me back to the bedroom. "This is where I bid you goodnight beautiful." He pulled back the covers and I crawled in, snuggling down into them. "Your phone is next to your bed, I set the alarm for you. I'll be here at 9:30 to come pick you up."

"You don't have to do that Lester, I can get there…" my eyes were starting to become heavy again and I heard him chuckle.

"I've seen your car, I'll come pick you up." I closed my eyes and felt him lean down to kiss me on the cheek and brushed the curls out of my face. "Dulces sueños hermosa." I heard him whisper in my ear before I passed out completely.

**Lester's POV**

I had a hard time walking away from the woman I helped into bed, but after she started breathing evenly I knew she was out. I grabbed her a bottle of water and some aspirin, setting them next to her phone on the end table before I joined Bobby and Tank in her living room and we walked outside, locking her front door for her and going downstairs to the car.

"She definitely needs better locks on her door." Bobby mentioned as we rode the elevator.

"And a security bolt." Tank mentioned.

_And a bodyguard every night. _

"So, she gonna make it to her first day of work?" Bobby asked grinning as he slipped into the back seat and Tank took the passenger side. I turned the car on and we slipped out of her parking lot before I answered.

"Yeah, she should be okay. I left her water and some aspirin and I'm going to stop by and pick her up in a few hours. We might want to skip the exercise portion in the morning though." I said and we all laughed.

"She is pretty amazing, I've got to say. I think she will fit in nicely with everyone ." Tank said quietly and Bobby and I both agreed.

"You know there's going to be a line a mile long to ask her out…" I grimaced. "Should we put a no fraternization rule in place?"

They both laughed at me. "You really think that would keep the men away? Why Les, you want to ask her out?" I stayed quiet for a moment till both men shouted at me. "YOU DO!!!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well DUH. Have you seen the woman? She's fucking gorgeous." I pulled the car into Haywood and we made our way to each of our apartments before we spoke again.

"You know your cousin may have an issue with that Les." Bobby socked me on the arm before turning to his apartment and retreating behind the door. I look at Tank and he nods.

"He looked pretty smitten." He added and then retreated behind his own door.

I walk into my apartment muttering. "Yeah well, he's not a God. He's just a guy… he shouldn't get a Happily Ever After and the rest of us are just tossed aside." I stripped and stand in the shower, choosing a cold one instead of the steaming hot one I want. After a few minutes I make my way out and to my bedroom, pulling on boxers and a tank top. _I could be just as good for her._ I'm about to fall asleep when I hear my phone ding and grin widely at the message.

**Lester- thank you so much for taking care of me. I found the water and aspirin, and I feel better already. Sleep well, and I'll see you in a few hours, BRING COFFEE PLEASE! XO Steph **

_Bring it on cousin… _


	8. A Night to Remember Chapter 8

**A/N: Wooooooo doggie!! What do we think? I LOVE Lester focused stories. No worries Babe fans… you'll get your moment soon! To the person that asked how the fit Tank in the back of the Turbo… I can't reply bc my thing is stupid but… MAGIC! ;) No really I totally was gonna put him in the front seat driving but then I wanted Lester to be closer to Steph… so I broke the laws of physics on that LOL. To be fair when I looked up the specs of the car it said it could fit 4 people but then again they probably aren't typically the size of these guys. So we will just say magic ;)**

Chapter 8

**Stephanie's POV**

True to his word, Lester stopped by at around 9:30. I had gotten up, taken a shower, and was trying to decide what to wear when he knocked. I grabbed a robe and rushed to the door to find him standing there , coffee in one hand and a bag in the other.

"Ohhhh my gosh you are the best!" I grab his arm and pull him inside as gently as possible so no coffee spills and he grins at me.

"Your coffee m'lady! I wasn't sure how you took it so I brought extra cream and sugar…" His voice trailed off as I took the lid off, dumped a gallon (okay not actually) of sugar and creamer in and then took a sip, moaning as it hit my tongue. I could hear him cough and raised my eyes to meet his.

"Sorry, but I don't function without caffeine. Caffeine and sugar are like two of my main food groups, so thank you." I shut the door and padded off to the bedroom to finish getting dressed. "YOU CAN FOLLOW ME!" I yelled at him and he joined me a moment later still holding the bag . "What's that?" My eyes went wide as he grinned and held out the bag to me.

"Go ahead, check it out." I sat my cup down and took the bag, opening it quickly and squealed. _Boston crème!_ I grabbed the donut and sunk my teeth in, again moaning. His eyes got that deep green as my tongue darted out and licked my lips. I finished the donut quickly , sucking my fingers clean. After making sure there were no more hiding in the bag I grabbed Lester around the waist and squeezed tightly.

"Thank you SO MUCH! I'll be able to function like a normal human being now." I let go and started rummaging through my closet again. "What do I need to wear today?" I paused, waiting for him to respond and when he was silent I looked back at him. He was staring at me, head cocked to one side like he was trying to understand what had just happened. "Earth to Lester?" I snapped my fingers in front of his face and he straightened up and focused on me.

"Sorry what?"

Grinning I shook my head. "I need to know what to wear. I see you guys wear all black, is there a uniform or something?" I turned back toward the closet and felt him come up behind me. I could smell the scent of his body wash, whatever it was smelled DIVINE … then his hand reached around me and pulled out a black V-neck t shirt. He handed it over and then rummaged through my drawer until he found a pair of black jeans I had shoved underneath some other clothes and handed those to me too.

"Here. This will work for now. Ella will have your uniforms ready today. Do you have boots? If not regular tennis shoes will work for today."

I dig through my massive shoe pile and pull out a pair of black Doc martens I wore once in high school when I went through a goth phase. "Jackpot! Found some!" I drop my robe and pull on the jeans, then the t-shirt, and finally socks and the boots before going to the bathroom. I grab my hair and pile it into a pony tail holder, throw on a couple of swipes of mascara, brush my teeth and I am good to go.

I come back to my room to find him still standing there, pained look on his face and I realize what I had just done. "Oh God Les I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable I just… I'm at ease around you I guess." I hang my head and I hear him move to stand in front of me. His finger goes under my chin to lift my head and I lock eyes with him.

"Don't. Don't apologize for being comfortable with me. It just surprised me is all. " He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss before walking towards the front door. "Let's go you don't want to be late on your first day!" My head got all fuzzy but I nodded, grabbed my bag and followed him out the door.

We arrive at Haywood and the nerves start kicking in. I think Lester could tell, he grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly. "You'll do great beautiful." I just gave him a small smile and nod, I didn't trust my voice not to come out in a squeak. As we got off the elevator on 5 I was met with a familiar wall of black, with a few new faces mixed in. "Steph this is Manny, Brett, and Cesear. They missed you yesterday and wanted to say hi." I smiled at the three newer men. "Manny will teach you lock picking skills, so you need to get comfortable around him…you'll spend some quality time together in enclosed spaces." Manny winked at me and I felt my face flush.

"Wait, why would I need that skill?" _What have I gotten myself in to??_

"I'll tell you about my story sometime, trust me it's a good skill to have." He smiled widely at me and I just nodded. I felt my neck tingle at the same time a hand grabbed mine and pulled me to the side as the men moved into the conference room and when I looked I was staring into the eyes of Ranger.

"Babe, you ready to do this?" I gulped and nodded. _Can't turn back now!_

His face was blank, but his eyes were expressive as they stared at me. The spell broke when we heard a loud voice from the conference room (sounded suspiciously like Tank) yell "Ranger quit flirting with her and get in here!" I knew I turned red again and I saw his face change quickly from blank to a small smile before it changed back.

"Come on, they're relentless when they get started." He placed a hand at the small of my back and I felt that same electricity run through my body as had the night before when he touched me. We swept into the room and he took a seat at the head of the table, while Lester pulled a chair out for me next to himself and I sat down. The meeting was uneventful , just another introduction of me to the men, a run down of their jobs for today and before I knew it the men were dispersing and I was left with the four core men again.

"We want to start you off easy. After your night are you up for some physical stuff?" Bobby grinned at me, and it made me nervous.

"Um, you mean like running? I'm fine, not even hungover and I've even had caffeine and sugar this morning so you're in luck, I shouldn't snap at you." I responded and grinned back at him.

He rubbed his hands together like he was planning something extraordinarily evil. "This should be fun. Come on sweetie, Ella has workout clothes for you in the locker room downstairs."

"Watch out for him beautiful, he may seem like a teddy bear but he gets his jollies off of making us miserable !" I heard the three men chuckle and Bobby growl.

"Whatever! Come on Steph, let's leave these babies to their whining."

We got up and I turned to ask the men still sitting at the table "Am I walking to my own death? Is he really that bad?" They all four cracked up with laughter and shook their heads.

**THEY LIED.** An hour later I was hunched over, trying desperately to get air into my lungs while Bobby was jogging in place next to me grinning. "EVIL! *gasp* MAN *gasp*"

He took pity on me and jogged over to a refrigerator I hadn't noticed before, grabbing a bottle of water out of it and threw it at me. I was barely conscious enough to grab it before it hit me in the face. Twisting off the top I sucked down the water in record time. After I finished my breathing slowed down enough to where I could speak normally again. "Man what the hell did I do to you??"

His laughter echoed throughout the gym. "Nothing sweetheart, I train all the guys like this. It'll get easier, I promise." He checked his watch and pointed to the locker room. "Grab a quick shower, you have firearm training in 30 with Ram." He didn't have to tell me twice I took off in a sprint that surprised me towards the locker room, only stopping when I realized I could walk in on very naked men in there. _ Been a long time Steph.._. I heard Bobby come up behind me still laughing . "You won't walk in on anyone. I told the guys to wait for their work outs til you were done. They'll work around your schedule until we figure out how to make you your own locker room." I leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek and spun back around retreating into the locker room.

After showering I came back out and saw the gym filled with guys waiting on me to get done hogging their locker room. "Sorry guys, maybe I can change somewhere else?" They all shook their heads.

"No way Little Girl. You take your time, these guys can wait." Tank appeared and steered me towards the door to escort me to the range. "I heard Bobby was kind of rough."

_Kind of?! Jesus the man must be a sadist! _ I heard Tank explode with laughter until he had tears in his eyes. "Out loud?" I blushed and shook my head as he nodded. "Don't tell him I said that, really it wasn't all that bad. I'll get used to it." He just grinned and nodded again at me as we walked into the range.

"Hi Stephanie! Welcome to my lair." Ram appeared in front of us fully dressed. By that I mean he had a holster strapped to his thigh, I could see knives sticking out of his pockets and there was another gun tucked into the back of his pants. "Let's find you your new weapon shall we?" Tank and Ram nodded at each other and Tank walked away, leaving me alone with Ram. For the first time since we had been introduced I got a good look at him. Tall, not as tall as Tank but taller than Ranger sport I estimated around 6'3? He was blonde and his hair was cut short , almost buzzed, and he had the most intense blue eyes I had ever seen. His black t-shirt seemed like it was painted on, it fit him perfectly. _What is it about this company employing hot guys? _

"Thanks doll, you aren't too bad yourself. " My eyes snapped up and met his and I saw a huge grin gracing his face.

"DAMMIT!! Is there a training that could help me from speaking my thoughts out loud?? Its not fair, it's like I'm giving away secrets to the enemy." I sigh and he just shakes his head.

"Don't think of me as the enemy doll. Think of me as your friendly neighborhood gun enthusiast. Now you want to pick out a weapon?"

I nod and we get to work. After choosing a weapon that actually feels comfortable in my hand, Ram shows me how to correct my stance and then releases me to shoot. 6 bullets are expended and after I'm done I flick the safety on, pull my eye gear and ear cans off as he brings the target to the front. "Hey doll good job! I thought you said you weren't good at this?" The target shows 3 shots to the shoulder, one center mass , one in the head and one on the heart.

"Oh my gosh! I really didn't think I was but I guess it was my gun? This is awesome! Can I go again?" He nodded and put a fresh target out as I reloaded the weapon and put my protective gear back on. We kept going until someone knocked on the door of the range to interrupt and when I checked my watch I saw I had been down there for 2 hours! Ram handed me the weapon I had been using and said I could have it, that he would let Ranger know. He helped me with the thigh holster and I had to bite my lip when he was securing it to keep myself from moaning. _God I need to get laid. _

After I left Ram my stomach decided I needed sustenance, so I made my way to the break room to track down some food. Ella had told me she kept the place stocked with healthy and nutritious food _bleh_. But when I was rummaging through the cupboard I found a box with my name on it. Curious I opened it to find TastyKakes! _Oh my gosh I wonder if Ella would adopt me?_ I take one and shove the box back behind all the gross healthy stuff, grab a sandwich and plop down at a table. The room is fairly empty, a few random guys milling around who all smiled at me and I waved back before tearing into my sandwich. Those guys never knew what hit them. Lester and Bobby walked in as the few men that had been in the room with me were walking out looking like they had just gotten the shit kicked out of them, their faces red. I saw them laughing as they approached the table and sat down.

"Your stomach almost kill some of the guys there beautiful?"

"No Les, could not you tell? It was her moaning that did them in." Bobby responded just as I bit into my dessert and let out a low soulful groan.

I chewed my bite and swallowed before shrugging. "I can't help it. I like food." They just grinned at each other before turning back towards me. I picked up my trash and walk to the trash can to dispose of it when I hear them both make a sound that rivaled mine a moment earlier. I turned and saw their eyes scanning me up and down. Confused I looked down and it dawned on me. _ Thigh holster!_

I decided to play with them. "Whatcha think boys? Can I pull this look off?" My neck tingled as I spy Ranger leaning against the doorway.

"Babe. You're breaking my men."


	9. A Night to Remember Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi friends! Still enjoying ?**

Chapter 9

**Ranger's POV**

_Holy. Fuck. _ I walked into the break room to find Stephanie modeling her newest accessory from Ram and two of my core men ready to jump her at any second. I didn't blame them, the thigh holster looked sexy on her. It gave her the right among of bad assness she needed to excel at this job. I had already spoken briefly to Ram who let me know how well she did shooting, and that he had given her the Glock 43 9 mm Luger, so I remind myself to make sure we get it registered under her name. She already had her conceal carry permit which was impressive on it's own.

I stood observing them for a moment before speaking. "Babe. You're breaking my men." She turned red and jumped at the sound of my voice as Lester and Bobby both started shaking their heads and denying my comment. A small smile ghosted it's way across my face before I slammed my blank face back down. "You two, conference room in 2 hours. Babe, could you come with me please?" _I must have it bad for this woman, I said please! _ She nodded and I caught her mouthing "I'm sorry" in the guys direction before meeting me in the doorway. I pointed her towards the elevator and followed her out, trying to advert my eyes from the sight in front of me, but it didn't work. I watched her walk and was reminded to the night we met and Bobby's comment about her ass. He was right, it was toned and perfectly framed in the dark jeans she had on. The boots weren't company regulation, but we would fix that. When we got to the elevator I hit the button for floor 7, and she gave me a confused look. I ignored it for now, and when the doors open I guided her to my apartment door.

"This is my personal apartment. If you ever need a break from the guys, or a shower after your gym work and don't want to use the one downstairs, you are free to use mine." I opened the door and she walked in, eyes wide. I had to bite back a smile, she looked adorable.

"Ranger, this place is gorgeous. You live here full time?" She ran her hand over the breakfast bar made of granite and looked back at me. I nodded.

"Yes. I have apartments in Boston and Miami as well, but this is the one that feels closest to a home." I walk over to the coffee table and pick up a picture, handing it to her. "This is my daughter Julie. She lives in Miami with her mother."

"Oh she's beautiful Ranger. How old? Do you get to see her often?" She had a loving look in her eyes when she glanced at the picture and for a second I could see her sitting on the couch and giggling with Julie , holding a baby in her arms. _Jesus this woman is getting to me…_

"She's 12, I see her as often as I can. I travel down to Miami for a week every other month to check in." I took the picture back from her and place it back in its spot on the table. "Her mom and I were married for about 6 months after we found out she was pregnant, but I had to go out of the country on a mission and when I came back she had moved on with someone else. Ron is Julie's step father, but he has raised her since she was born." I sat down on the couch and patted the spot next to me. Stephanie sat down , took off her boots and tucked her legs underneath her as she turned towards me to listen. "I gave up my parental rights after I came back from my mission. My life didn't lend itself for a child or relationship for a very long time. " I looked down and saw her slip her hand into mine, squeezing tightly then rubbing her thumb over my knuckles. "We got back in touch a few years ago, when I told the government I wanted out of my contract with them. It's been an amazing few years getting to know my daughter again."

I looked over at her and saw unshed tears in her eyes, and one fell down on to her cheek. I reached over with my free hand and wiped it away with the pad of my thumb. "Babe."

"I'm so sorry Ric, but that was so sad and beautiful and touching! I'm sure your daughter is just amazing, and she is incredibly lucky to have you as a father." She snuggled close to me and laid her head on my shoulder, hand never leaving mine. "I wish I could meet her."

My heart leapt into my throat for a second and if she had been looking at me she would have seen my face tighten. Julie loved seeing the guys at Rangeman, they were all her unofficial uncles. She adored Les especially, they had grown close since she came back into my life, but she had never met a woman I had been with. Not that there were many, my life and work didn't really allow me one night stands or flings of any sort. _ Could this really work? Could Stephanie be THE ONE?_

The moment was broken when we heard a pounding on the door and Les strode in a few seconds later without waiting for my voice. He stopped short when he saw us sitting on the couch and I could tell he was trying to avoid my gaze. "Report" I said, I figured he wouldn't be here if there wasn't some reason.

"Uh, so… I was going to see if Beautiful wanted to work on take down tactics next?" He stood and shuffled his feet looking down at them.

She nodded and slipped her boots back on, then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before getting up and going towards the door with Lester. She stopped short before she exited and turned back around to face me. "Thank you Ranger."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "For what babe?"

"For letting me in." Stephanie gave me a small smile and then followed Lester out the door. I waited until I heard the elevator ding indicating they had left the floor before I looked down at the hand she had been holding. I could still feel the electricity running through it from where she had touched me. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch, lost in thought.

**Lester's POV **

_Shit I shouldn't have interrupted them._ I was standing in the elevator with Stephanie in an uncomfortable silence for the first time since we had met. She had a far off look in her eye, and I was afraid that didn't bode well for me. "What did Ranger want?" I heard my voice but didn't recognize it. It wasn't as boisterous and happy as it usually was.

"I'm not actually sure. He never said, just told me about his daughter." She smiled wide. "She's so pretty!" I was in shock but tried to hide it. Apparently I didn't do well because she laid her hand on my arm so I would look at her. "What is it?"

I took a deep breath before starting. "Ranger doesn't tell anyone about Jules. I don't want to scare you but this is a pretty big deal." The elevator doors opened and we walked out towards the locker rooms. "Don't think about it now, we have about a couple of hours to work on take down techniques. Go get changed and then I'll meet you in there." I grinned at her to show the tense moment was gone and she met my grin with one of her own.

"Sir yes sir!" She shouted, saluting me and walking in to the locker room. I heard a yelp not 10 seconds later and a very red faced Hal came rushing out with a towel on.

"Dude! I blocked out this time for Stephanie to train in take downs did you not read the sign?" I couldn't help but laugh at him as he shook his head.

"Sorry Sir. I didn't see the sign, I didn't think anyone would be in there." About 5 minutes went by with me ribbing Hal before Stephanie stuck her head out of the locker room door and motioned for Hal to come back.

"I'm done big guy, sorry about that! I didn't mean to chase you off."

**Stephanie's POV **

I hadn't meant to chase Hal off, but damn. When I walked into the locker room he had just walked out of the shower area and was tying a towel low around his waist. He had water drops running down his 8 pack abs and I felt myself involuntarily bite my lip before he went to drop the towel and start changing. _Oh lord this man is fine! _ I yelped so he knew I was there and he immediately tightened the towel around his waist and rushed out the door face as red as a tomato. I quickly changed and stuck my head out the door to let him know I was done and how sorry I was . I saw Lester laughing and Hal still completely red before I turned around and walked through the locker room to the gym area. While I waited for Lester to get changed I hopped onto a treadmill and started a slow jog as I thought about the conversation with Ranger in his apartment, and then the subsequent conversation with Lester in the elevator.

_Could Ranger really care about me like that? I just met these guys but I still feel completely comfortable around them._ I wasn't alone long before the gym was filled again with another round of guys working out. Lester interrupted my thoughts with a friendly punch to my arm and I stumbled a bit before shutting off the machine and hopping off. "Did I break Hal?"

He chuckled. "No, not all the way. He is a super quiet guy, but completely respectful , it just took him by surprise is all. He'll get over it. You ready for this?" I nodded but he could tell my hesitation. "Let everything else go. To train for takedowns you have to concentrate on the moment. You think about anything else, you're dead." _Oh gee, no pressure there!_

We worked through moves for the next couple of hours. I had a basic understanding of take down techniques already, and Les just helped me fine tune them, while adding in a few extra moves. By the time we were done the gym was empty and my stomach was making some serious noises. Lester slung his arm around my shoulders and we walked back into the locker room together. "Get a shower beautiful, I'm taking you out to dinner! You have officially made it through your first day of employment at Rangeman." He leaned over and kissed me quick on the mouth before letting go of me and walking out the door. It took me a second to comprehend what had just happened. I stood dazed for a moment, my fingers running over my lips, then heard a noise at the door which caused me to snap out of the trance I was in. When I looked up I saw Ranger staring at me.

"Lost in thought?"

_Do I tell him what just happened? No. Probably not a good idea…_ "I'm fine. Just finished takedown techniques with Lester. I need to grab a quick shower, he's taking me to dinner to celebrate me surviving today." His eyes flashed dark before the blank look took over again.

"Oh is he? That's nice of him." Ranger's face made it seem like it was actually anything **BUT** nice. "You may be waiting awhile though, we are having a meeting on 5 in 10 minutes."

"Oh! I can get showered and changed quickly, sorry I didn't realize." I started stripping off my shirt leaving me in just the sports bra when I heard him make a choking noise. I turned towards him and he had his eyes closed, it looked like he was concentrating on his breathing. I stood staring at him for a moment before moving in front of him and laying a hand on his arm. "Ranger?"

I never saw it coming. He grabbed my upper arms and twirled me around until my back hit the lockers behind me. His mouth crashed down onto mine, his tongue running along the seam of my lips until I opened them and he thrust it inside. I moaned and leaned into him, causing him to let go of my arms and run his hands down my body, around my back and rest on my ass. He grabbed ahold and lifted me up in one move, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck to hold on. When we pulled apart after a few minutes we were both breathless, and I held on for dear life to his shoulders, afraid I wouldn't be able to stand if I tried. We stared at each other for a moment, his eyes had turned the color of his gorgeous Turbo, deep black. I knew mine had to have shifted a bit too, typically they are blue but I have been told they shift to grey when my mood changes.

When I heard a noise coming from outside the locker room and tried to move, Ranger got the hint and sat me back down. As I thought my legs weren't quite steady, so he held on to me for a second before moving away. Before I could open my mouth to say anything he was gone. _He really is Batman!_ I shook my head and finished stripping off the dirty work out clothes, planting myself under the stream of hot water that I had turned on._ I need Joey. _ I quickly rinsed off the workout sweat, grabbed my clean clothes and changed in record time. I sent Lester a text letting him know I would have to take a raincheck on dinner and headed out of the gym towards the garage. Before leaving I sent a message to Joe.

**Joey- I need to see you. Meet me at home? Bring beer!**

I got a message back within a minute **Cupcake- glad to see you didn't die on your first day. I'll be there in an hour!**

_Nope, not dead… not yet._


	10. A Night to Remember Chapter 10

**A/N: I HAD to share this guest review with everyone bc it cracked me up so much I had tears in my eyes :****:$50 and a bag of chips that there was NO meeting. Ranger made that up to block Lester didn't he? So slimy if he did. But if he didn't make it up, he can have the $ and chip lol****You guys is that not hilarious?! LOL!!! I wish I could respond directly to you about this, thank you for making my afternoon! So I hadn't even thought about that actually… he was going to take Bobby and Lester to the mats for the way the were ogling Steph in the break room, but I thought that was kind hypocritical of him. So instead they changed to just having a powwow LOL.**

**2 chapters in one day?! Can y'all handle it???**

Chapter 10

**Stephanie's POV**

I made it all the way to the garage before I remembered Lester had driven me that morning so I had no way to get home. "Shit!" I cursed and looked around hoping a savior would magically appear, rescuing me from the weirdness (and hotness) of the last 5 minutes. When I heard the doors open and I saw the faces streaming out at me I thanked my lucky stars for about 2 seconds, until I actually saw their faces. They all ignored me , rushing to their vehicles until I saw Bobby rush past with his medical bag and I grabbed his arm. "Bobby! What's going on?"

He looked surprised to see me in the garage, but just took a hold of my hand and drug me to one of the vehicles. He picked me up and tossed me into the passenger seat before getting in the back. I looked over at the driver and it was Cal with a very un blank look on his normally blank face. I gripped the "Oh shit!" handle tightly as we sped out of the garage , trying to buckle my seat belt one handed as he dodged and sped around cars. "Cal? Bobby?" I felt my stomach drop as I heard Bobby's voice come from behind me, close to my ear so I knew he was leaning in.

"Manny's been shot."

_Shot??_ "Oh my God! Do you know how he's doing? What happened? Where was he transported to?" I felt my heart beating a mile a minute as Bobby placed a hand on my shoulder and Cal took his right hand off the wheel and linked it with my left hand, both of them squeezing.

"We don't know much yet, it was a skip gone bad and he got a lucky shot off. His partner Zip got hurt too but not as severe, I don't think he was hit with the bullets. More likely injuries from diving to the ground or something. They were taken to St. Francis." Bobby let go of my shoulder and when I looked back I could see him rubbing his hands over his face. I looked over at Cal who still had my hand in his, the look on his face hadn't changed. I turned my head towards the window and stared at the scenery flashing by.

We made it to the hospital quickly. Bobby barely let the car stop before jumping out and running into the building. Cal still had a hold on my hand so I leaned over the console and kissed him on the cheek. It broke him from his stupor as the blank face showed back up and he let go of my hand and got out of the car. I was a little shocked he didn't respond or acknowledge me, but then the passenger door opened and he was there. He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me down out of the massive vehicle before walking away. I followed him through the sliding doors and was met with that familiar wall of black. I didn't see Bobby but most of the other men were there, standing around with extremely tight jaws and wrinkled foreheads. I heard Bobby yelling at someone behind the second set of doors that led into the emergency department , and I realized what was going on. I saw Lester standing off to the side with Ranger so I made my way to them. "Guys, what is Manny's full name?"

"Babe?"

"Beautiful? What are you doing here?"

"Bobby grabbed me on his way out of the garage. Lester what is his full name?"

They shared a look as he responded "Manuel Alexander Ramos. Why?" I turned and made my way through the sliding doors, and slammed my hands on the counter, making Bobby stop yelling and turn towards me.

"My husband! I need to know what happened to him!" I shouted at the desk clerk, who looked confused.

"Miss? I'm sorry who-"

"Manuel Ramos! I need to see him immediately! Where is he?" I turned on the tears , which got the woman to jump to action.

"Oh Mrs. Ramos I'm so sorry! Yes of course, he's in room 315. Come on, I'll take you." She came around from the desk and put her arm around me, leading me towards the room. I caught Bobby's eye and almost laughed at his shocked look. I saw him turn around and walk back through the doors to join the rest of Rangeman in the waiting room.

The nurse brought me to Manny's room , letting me know the doctor would be in shortly to fill me in. I glanced at Manny laying in the bed and genuine tears filled my eyes. He looked so pale , white gauze covering his left shoulder, so I pulled a chair next to his right side and grabbed his hand, running my thumb over his knuckles. I'm not a super religious person, but I said a prayer for my new friends. I felt a slight squeeze on my hand and I opened my eyes to see bright blue eyes staring back at me. "Miss Plum? What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer the doctor came in. "Mrs. Ramos, Mr. Ramos, my name is Doctor Barnes and I'm here to give you an update." He turned towards me as he was taking. "Your husband had a gunshot to his left shoulder. It didn't hit any major arteries, but it did break his clavicle when it entered which caused a bit of damage that we had to go in and repair." He turned towards Manny "I estimate a recovery time of around 4 weeks, and you should be back to full use of your arm and shoulder in a little more." Manny didn't say a word, his eyes moving back and forth between the doctor and myself. "Any questions from either of you?"

"Yes, when can I take him home?" I ignored Manny's confused stare for a minute as the doctor checked his chart and stated he would be released in the morning. He then left, leaving Manny and I alone again. I took a deep breath, let it out and turned back towards him. "I'm so sorry Bobby told me you were shot and basically threw me into the car. When I walked in I heard him yelling at the desk clerk wanting answers of how you were doing and what was going on, and they were refusing because of HIPAA. I said the first thing that came to my mind, that we were married so I could give the guys an update." I hung my head in embarrassment _what if he has an actual wife or girlfriend who is gonna bust in here at any second and beat the shit out of me?? This was a stupid idea Steph._ When I heard him chuckle I looked up at him and he was smiling.

"First off, no wife or girlfriend so you're safe there. Second, thank you Miss. Plum."

I smiled back and winked at him "I think you can call me Stephanie, being as we're married and all."

He laughed and grimaced when it caused him to move his shoulder wrong , so I glared at him. I leaned across him to grab the call button for pain medicine for him when he pulled my hand down towards his face, kissing the back of it, his eyes never leaving mine. "Stephanie, thank you. This is the first time I've woken up in the hospital after being injured where I haven't felt like I was a burden."

He scooted over, laid on his right side and patted the bed next to him, indicating he wanted me to lay with him, so I kicked off my shoes and laid down facing him. He couldn't move his left shoulder or hand but I moved mine so I had a hold of his fingers. Our faces were close, and I could smell the cologne he was wearing, along with the antiseptic smell I always associate with hospitals. He leaned his forehead forward against mine, and we laid there in silence for a good amount of time until I had to ask. "Manny, why did you feel like a burden when you were injured previously?"

"Ranger takes really good care of us guys." He started "but the last few times I've been injured, I would wake up to him giving orders to the men, who would be covering for me while I was out, and it made me feel like…"

"Like you were a problem that needed to be taken care of?" I let go of his fingers and pushed his hair out of his eyes that had fallen forward .

He nodded. "Don't get me wrong, Bobby's a great medic and I trust him with my life, it was just really nice to see your beautiful eyes instead of his ugly mug when I woke up." I blushed and started to say something when I heard my phone go off. _Shit! Joey is probably wondering where the hell I am…_ I slipped off the bed to grab it "Don't move husband, I'll be right back!"

He grinned at me and winked. "No problem wifey, I'm not going anywhere."

I padded into the hallway and answered on the 4th ring. "Hello?"

"Cupcake? I thought we had a date? I'm at your apartment are you okay?"

"Yes I'm so sorry Joe! After I hung up with you I was rushed to the hospital-" I heard a crash and what sounded like him running.

"What?? What hospital Stephanie? What happened?"

_Oh good lord._ "Joe! Calm down before you have a coronary! I'm fine, one of my coworkers was shot and we all kind of made a mad dash here. I'm at St. Francis if you want to come pick me up. Give me 30 minutes okay?" I heard him let out the breath I guess he had been holding.

"Jesus Steph! Way to give me a panic attack!" I heard his breathing start to regulate. "I'm sorry about your friend, I'll be by to get you in just a bit. Love you Cupcake."

"Love you Joey." I said before disconnecting and walking back into the room. Manny's eyes were shut and his breathing was even, making me assume he had fallen asleep. I sent a text to Ranger to let him know I had an update and would be out shortly. Slipping my shoes back on I leaned over and brushed my lips over his cheek, whispering that I would be back in the morning to see him. I met a nurse outside his door and let her know he was asleep, gave her my number and told her to call me if his condition changed in the night otherwise I would be there in the morning. I also let her know to allow Bobby access to Manny's medical information, I figured Manny would want that anyway for when he was released, and that he could get updates about his condition. She agreed and said she would make sure he was notified, so I thanked her and walked out to the waiting room. I counted no less than 15 guys jump up out of their seats as I walked through the doors and they rushed me. I was bombarded with questions until I heard a loud whistle that caused me to cringe. The noises stopped and I looked for the origin of the sharp sound, finding Tank standing there. When I glanced around the waiting room I didn't see Ranger which surprised me since I knew he had been there earlier, and didn't think he would just leave his man. Tank must have sensed my confusion, he walked over to me, splitting the circle of men that had been hovering and putting his massive arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

"Ranger will be back soon, he and Lester needed to take a ride Little Girl."

I felt Bobby's presence next to us as soon as he walked up. "How is he?" I relayed the news from the doctor on Manny's condition, and his expected recovery time. The men all seemed to relate somehow, because they all just nodded. "That was some seriously quick thinking sweetheart." He pulled me from Tanks embrace into one with himself before letting me go. "I would have eventually gotten an update, but it could have taken hours. This reminds me, I need to get your paperwork updated tomorrow when we get to work. Come see me first thing when I get back from here okay?"

I had no idea what paperwork he was referring to, but I didn't care. "Oh, I… I was hoping I could come here in the morning, so I'm here for Manny when he's released…" I kicked an imaginary spot on the floor, nervous he would tell me no. When I looked up all the guys were staring at me with admiration.

Bobby's voice came out thick when he answered "Of course sweetheart. I'm sure he would much rather see your face than mine tomorrow morning. I'll pick you up at 7 okay? We can work on the paperwork while we wait for him to be ready." I nodded, not even registering the early time. At that moment I heard Joe's voice call out to me, and I stepped his way.

He grabbed me tight, squeezing me against his chest. I felt the tension rolling off of him in waves, and just let him hug me until I couldn't breathe. Then I smacked him on his arm , so he let go. I heard growls and grumbles all around us, but he ignored them. "Cupcake thank God you're okay!" he pulled me close again, more gentle this time and kissed me on the temple.

I rolled my eyes "Joey I told you I was fine. One of my coworkers got shot, I needed to be here." I grabbed Joe's hand and walked him over to the guys milling around. "Joey, these are two of the men in charge at Rangeman. Tank, Bobby, this is my best friend Joe Morelli." The guys did some sort of cavemanish grunting at each other, which caused me to roll my eyes again. Surprisingly Cal came over to stand next to me and spoke.

"Morelli, do you have any idea how special this woman is? When she found out one of us had been shot her first reaction wasn't to run screaming in the other direction, it was to check on his well being. Then, as if her asking about him wasn't enough, she took it upon herself to get access to him and his doctor by claiming to be his wife so that we could get an update on our friend and colleague." I glanced up at Cal, open mouthed. _I thought he was mad at me about something…_

Cal glanced down at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me into his side. "Why would I be mad at you Angel?" He leaned down and whispered in my ear , his breath tickling my cheek. "You will be our saving grace, I can tell. " I moved away from his side and grabbed his face with both my hands, pulling it down to my level.

"I will always, and I mean ALWAYS be here for you guys. You aren't getting rid of me, now you're stuck with me. You are great men, and I'm lucky to have you guys in my life." Tears rolled down my cheeks as I kissed him on his flaming skull tattoo and then the tip of his nose before letting go and turning to Bobby. "Please tell my husband if he wakes up tonight that I will be here first thing in the AM." Bobby smiled and nodded at me just as the nurse walked through the doors and called to him to provide the update I told her to give . He smiled at me again and gave me a quick hug and kiss before joining her. I did a round of hugs and kisses with each man in the waiting room before following Joe outside. Once we were in the car and driving back to my apartment he broke the silence.

"So, where was Ranger?"

I did a mental head slap. Tank had said that he and Lester had taken a ride, I hoped to GOD they weren't discussing me. _That's narcissistic Stephanie, they probably aren't talking about you at all!"_ "I'm not sure, he was there when I got to the hospital but gone when I left Manny's room to provide them with an update." By the time we got back to my apartment I was ready for bed. "Sorry Joey, can our talk wait til tomorrow ? I had a hell of a first day, and I just want to sink into bed."

He unlocked my door and ushered me into my bedroom. My eyes felt like they were going to fall out I was so tired, and he could tell. He gently removed my clothes, changed me into pajamas, laid me down and covered me up. Last thing I remembered before I slipped off into sleep was him kissing my forehead and telling me he loved me.

**A/N2: Please be advised, I am most definitely NOT a medical professional. I have no idea how long a gunshot wound/broken collarbone takes to heal. Please indulge my version of the time frame. **


	11. A Night to Remember Chapter 11

**A/N: You guys are incredible! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews. I told you Ranger fans to just wait ;) I think you will really love what's coming up! **

Chapter 11

**Stephanie's POV**

The next morning I felt my neck tingle and knew Ranger was in my bedroom. I opened one eye and sure enough there he was, sitting in the chair in the corner of my room, his arms and ankles crossed . "I hope you have coffee if you're breaking and entering this early." It didn't even occur to me to be nervous or angry at him. He had a rough day previously with one of his men getting shot and another being injured so I cut him some slack. He just stared at me for a moment before standing up and moving towards my bed. I closed my eye again and felt the bed dip down as he sat on it.

"Babe, we need to talk."

I wasn't looking forward to this. I figured he would tell me that my stunt was stupid, that he made a mistake hiring me… or even worse that he regretted losing his cool with me in the locker room when he kissed me. I sighed and buried myself under the covers, pulling them over my head. Denial land was my friend, I liked it, loved it even. I heard him chuckle as me pulled them down off my face. "Stephanie look at me." So I opened one eye again and his face didn't have the hard blank stare it had the day before. "Both eyes babe." I popped the other one open and got a good look at the man seated on my bed. "I want to thank you for last night." _Wait, what?_ "We don't have any women employees besides Ella as you know, and she never went to the hospital when one of my men was injured so that was a new experience for us all. I know Manny appreciated you being there for him, as did the rest of us. Your quick thinking and determination made him, well, all of us, feel like we mattered. Because I knew you were there to sit with my men I felt comfortable to leave." At this point if I had been standing you could have knocked me over with a feather I was in such shock. I started to speak but he continued. "Lester and I were able to capture the individual responsible for my men's injuries, and he is on his way back to jail. You being there, allowing me to leave, saved us critical time in finding him."

"You're welcome?" I squeaked out before he kept talking.

"Now, there's another matter we need to discuss. " _Oh boy here it is. _ "The locker room incident between us yesterday…" I swear my heart was beating so hard and loud people on Stark Street could hear it. "I am sorry for how it happened." My face fell until he kept going. " But I'm not sorry that it DID happen. _YES! _ "It's no secret I find you attractive Stephanie. So do my men. I know Lester has feelings for you, as do I, as do a lot of us at Rangeman. I'm not sure how you feel about us, but I want to put myself out there as a contender for your heart, if you're interested." I had to contain my joy when he uttered the words I was afraid I wouldn't hear, and tried not to do a victory dance in my bed.

"Um, yes! I mean…. Yes Ranger, I'm interested in you." I sat up and scooted against the headboard so I could look him in the eyes. "I am extremely grateful that you have offered me a job, I really do care about all your men. I think you all can teach me a huge amount about being a BEA." _Shit this next part is going to be difficult. _ "If I'm being completely honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about Lester. He's been so sweet and supportive, and I feel really comfortable around him. " I turn my eyes downward and continue. "I'm attracted to him, but-" I look back into his eyes and see they shifted from a deep brown to the black onyx color they were the day before in the locker room. "I'm attracted to you too. Extremely. "

_Holy shit. _He was looking at me like a lion stalking its prey when I said that. I could hear the low growl in his throat as he leaned in close to me. I gnawed on my bottom lip and he ran his thumb over it, gently pulling it from my teeth. "Babe. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming next but it never did. I heard a phone buzz and popped my eyes back open to see him grab it from his belt. "Yo."

_Yo? Oh I am definitely going to be teaching these guys phone etiquette._

"I'm here with Stephanie, I'll bring her to the hospital. See you in 20." He disconnected and stood up, holding out his hand to help me out of bed. "That was Brown, the hospital called him, Manny will be ready to be released in about an hour or so, and he wanted you there." I nodded and flung back the covers, grabbing on to his hand to help me out of bed. "Babe." His eyes ran up and down my body and I looked down to see what Joe had dressed me in the night before. His TPD shirt and nothing else.

I yelped and ran to the dresser, grabbing jeans then hightailing it to the bathroom to change. Shutting the bathroom door I leaned against it with my forehead, lightly hitting my head against the door. I heard chuckling on the other side of it before I heard Ranger say "Coffee is waiting in the kitchen." I splashed cold water on my face, did my bathroom business and pulled on my jeans on record time. When I looked in the mirror I wanted to curl up into a ball, my hair was crazy. So I ran the brush through it as best I could and pulled it into a ponytail holder, calling it good. I couldn't make it look any better without a shower and we didn't have time. I darted out of the bathroom back into my bedroom and grabbed another shirt from my closet to change in to. I didn't think about the uniform, so it was a soft blue v neck that complimented my eyes. Boots were next and then I ran back to the bathroom to brush my teeth , swipe on some mascara and was done.

I walked into my kitchen and the sight made me stop on my tracks. Ranger was leaning down in front of Rex's cage, talking to him in soft Spanish. "**Creo que me estoy enamorando de tu madre roeder. Nunca he sentido esto por nadie." ** I had no idea what he was saying but holy crap I felt a shot of desire shoot right through my abdomen. I made my way to the kitchen cupboard and grabbed some cheerios to feed Rex and picked up the cup of coffee that was resting on the counter. "I'm ready." Ranger stood and nodded at me, and we slipped from my apartment and made our way to the hospital.

Ranger and I arrived at the hospital fairly quickly, and I managed to drink the cup of coffee by the time we got there. The only difference from the night before was the amount of men in black crowded in the waiting room, Bobby, Tank and Lester were the only ones to meet us this morning. As I walked through the doors I was quickly engulfed into a group hug with the three men, Ranger stood off to the side watching and chuckling to himself.

"Hey guys, nice to see you too!" I giggled and gave each of them a quick kiss on the cheek. Tank and Lester went back to their seats leaving me standing next to Bobby.

"Hey sweetheart, you want to go back and see Manny?" I nodded and followed him through the doors of the waiting room into the hospital. As we approached his room I heard voices coming from inside. Bobby pushed the door open and I caught sight of the doctor that I had met the night before standing next to the bed having what appeared to be a heated discussion with Manny.

"Wifey! I'm glad you're here. Will you PLEASE tell the doctor I'll be fine. I just need some rest and you to take care of me and I'll be good as new in no time." Manny's eyes got wide and he tried to do some sort of ESP thing with me, and thankfully I got it.

"Yes Doctor Barnes, I've got him. I'll keep a close eye on him, and make sure he gets back here for any follow-ups or physical therapy he may need to do." I smiled warmly at the Doctor who just nodded at me.

"See that you do Mrs. Ramos. " He handed me a card "This is my office number. Normally I don't give that out to patients, but I have a feeling I may see your friends more often than I typically would, so I want you to keep it handy." He shook my hand, gave a look to Manny and Bobby and left.

"You really are a lifesaver Steph." Manny gushed at me and I felt my cheeks flush.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, I meant to be…" I slid past Bobby and sat down in the chair that was previously unoccupied. He waved my apology off .

"No need to be sorry Wifey. You're here now, plus you were here last night, that's what's important. I can't thank you enough."

A thought I hadn't entertained before crept into my mind. "Um, what happens now? I mean, the hospital thinks we're married…" Suddenly I felt idiotic for asking. "Will they release the guys' medical info to you now Bobby? Or am I going to have to be "married" to everyone who gets injured?" Both men burst out laughing until Manny groaned from pain. "Manny! Stop that you'll hurt yourself even more." I shot him my best angry face and he just grinned back at me.

"You'd better listen to your wife Manny, she's a bossy little thing." A voice came from the door and I looked over to find Lester leaning against the doorframe. I stuck my tongue out at Lester and he just raised his eyebrows at me. "And a spitfire!"

"Bite me Lester!"

"Don't suggest anything you don't intend to allow later on beautiful." He walked over to the bed and planted himself on an empty spot. "How ya feeling man?"

Manny shrugged with his good shoulder and cut his eyes towards me. "I was telling Steph she was an absolute angel last night, and then just a few minutes ago with the doctor too. He wanted to argue with me, saying I needed to have someone with me at all times, that I would be incapacitated for awhile."

"Where are you staying Manny?" I realized I had no idea where these guys spent their off hours. I knew some of them lived in the building, but there weren't that many apartments I didn't think.

"I live at Haywood Wifey. 4th floor, next to this joker." He pointed to Lester who shoved him good naturedly in the leg. "I'll be fine. Bobby lives on site too, so no need to worry your pretty head about me." I looked back at Bobby who nodded in agreement.

We sat and talked for a few more minutes before the nurse came in and advised us that Manny was being released. Bobby got all prescriptions and info for follow up visits, and after they unhooked him from his IV Lester and I helped him get dressed. Well, Lester helped him change out of the hospital gown as I held my hand over my eyes, and he held on to me. After signing his release paperwork, he was ordered into a wheelchair, and the group of us went back to the lobby. Ranger had already left with Tank to go back to Haywood, so Lester, Bobby, Manny and I loaded into the vehicle that had been left for us and made our way there too.

**Lester's POV **

_Flashback_

_When Stephanie rushed in to the waiting room with Cal I felt my heart break. Here it was her first day with us and she had to go through one of the scariest things we go through as civilians , getting shot while on the job. Most of us have been long serving military men, we are used to gunfights and injuries. I just hoped that she wouldn't get scared away because of this._

_Then she shocked us all. She walked over to Ranger and myself and asked what Manny's full name was. I looked at my cousin bewildered, but answered her with the information she requested. She rushed through the waiting room doors and we could hear her yelling at the desk clerk, the same one Bobby had been yelling at for the last few minutes and not getting anywhere with. A minute later Bobby came back through the doors, the typical blank face completely gone._

_"Bobby? Where's Steph?" I put my hand on his shoulder to bring him out of his state of confusion, and he raised his head to look at me._

_"They brought her to his room." He said quietly, and the entire waiting room stopped._

_"Wait, they did? I thought we couldn't get any information from them?" Ranger asked, his voice low._

_"We can't. His wife however, gets any information she wants." Bobby plopped down into a plastic chair and the rest of us looked at each other confused as all hell. "Steph, she said she was Mannys wife, demanded to see him and to get information on his condition." He looked up at Ranger "She's a fucking genius. I would have never come up with that idea. Not that it would have worked for me anyway." He commented as the men laughed._

_Once we realized beautiful was taking care of Manny, Ric and I left to track down the fucker that had shot him. Thankfully Zip was just a bit banged up, some scratches from diving onto the sidewalk, so he was in the ER waiting to be released. Ric let Tank know where we were headed and we walked out to the parking lot. The car ride was mostly silent, us driving around looking for the skip, until all of a sudden Ric piped up with something that floored me even though it shouldn't have._

_"I like Stephanie. I think she'll be good for us." I nodded in silence. "I told her about Julie."_

_"Yeah, she told me." I responded watching my cousin out of the corner of my eye. His shoulders were tense, although I wasn't sure if it was the talk we were having or the situation we were making our way to resolve that was causing it._

_"Les, I know you like her too. I just don't want there to be a fight between us." His voice was being strangely calm even though his body wasn't. "We are family, I love you like a brother. If you want her, then make it known. Like I said I don't want to fight you…" He slammed his brakes and I had to grab on to the door handle to keep from flinging forward. "THERE!" he growled, throwing the car into park before bolting out of the vehicle with me right behind him._

_We gathered the skip and brought him back to the precinct without him being too damaged . I heard Rangers phone buzz and saw him smile as he checked it. "Steph was letting me know she has an update on Manny, she thinks we're still at the hospital." He sent the message to Tank to let him know and waited on the body receipt before exiting the station to return to the hospital. "Have you thought about what I've said?"_

_End flashback_

I had. I sat in the emergency room again, staring after the woman that had blown into our lives just a few days prior and turned us all on our heads, and I knew what I needed to do. I deserved the love of this woman, it's what I needed in my life. What I craved. But when I had looked into my cousin's face I could see he needed her more. Sure, I would have given him a run for his money, caused him month's of torture, hell maybe I still will. But the moment Steph told me he had told her about Julie I knew it was pointless. He won, whether he knew it or not, or had been meaning to at that point. I had sighed deeply and ran my hands over my face when I heard Tank next to me.

"What's up Les. You look like you just lost your best friend , but I know Bobby just went back there with Steph. So spill it…what's on your mind?"

I shrugged. "Ranger and I had words. "

"About?"

I stared at him, and his blank face started to slip. A smile began slowly, and then finally took over his whole face. He started laughing in a very un Rangerman like way. I just sat watching and waiting for him to finish. When he finally did, wiping away the tears from his eyes, he sat back and waited for me to continue.

"Stephanie."

"Of course."

**A/N: So there ya go Babe fans... sure there will be massive amounts of flirting between Lester and Stephanie because lets face it, the man is a horn dog...but he's so adorable ;) *SP****ANISH TRANSLATION : I think I'm falling in love with your mother rodent. I've never felt this way about anyone.**


	12. A Night to Remember Chapter 12

**A/N: Babe fans, fear not! I know it looks like I'm waffling (my favorite term for doing back and forth between a decision) but I promise you I'm not! Hang in there with me!! This chapter is gonna be on the longer side… the idea rushed me and I had to get it all down!**Chapter 12

**Lester's POV**

Tank rolled his eyes at me. _Seriously?! _"Man, I could have told you that wouldn't gave gone the way you wanted it to, saved you some heartbreak. He was practically salivating at the sight of her the night of the distraction, not to mention when we took her out. I've known him as long as I've known you, and you both are as stubborn as mules. Him opening up to her, it's a huge deal. So now you need to decide, are you going to roll over ? Let him win? Or are you going to fight for what you want?"

I stared at Tank for a good 30 seconds in silence._ That's the most I've ever heard him say and I've known him for over 20 years!_ "Tank…"

"Don't tell me man, talk to Steph. Do some soul searching… tell Ric your feelings about her, see what he says. You know his feelings but does he know yours?" I shook my head indicating he didn't. "Well then, there you go." He went to stand and I followed.

"I thought he was your best friend?" I looked at the large man standing in front of me, confused. "I thought you would have his back on this?'

Tank shook his head. "He is. I am all for him winning the girl, but I want it to be a fair fight. Little Girl needs all the information before making a decision that could impact her for the rest of her life. I know we haven't known her long but she doesn't seem like the kind of girl that takes kindly to being lied to or manipulated. Besides, maybe I want you two going after each other so I can slip in and steal her away!" He winked and clapped a large hand on my shoulder and pointed to the hallway where she and Bobby had exited to. "Now, go see your girl… and her husband. " He grinned at me before turning around and walking away.

I stood for a moment thinking. _He's right… I need to talk to Steph._ I walked down the hall and got to the room to hear Stephanie telling Manny to lay still or he would hurt himself even more, and my comment came out before I could even stop it. "You'd better listen to your wife Manny, she's a bossy little thing." She stuck her tongue out at me and I raised my eyebrows at her. "And a spitfire!"

"Bite me Lester!"

"Don't suggest anything you don't intend to allow later on beautiful." I walked over to the bed and planted myself on an empty spot. "How ya feeling man?"

We chatted for a minute before the doctor came back with the discharge information. Beautiful and I got Manny dressed while Bobby went over the paperwork, and then we loaded him up into a wheelchair and made our way to the vehicle.

While we were driving back to Haywood (Bobby driving, Manny in the passenger seat, Steph and I in the back) I took the opportunity to talk to Steph . "Hey beautiful, you want to grab dinner tonight? I have something I need to talk to you about." She turned to me, eyes wide so I quickly added "Nothing bad!"

She smiled at me _I could get used to that smile._ "I would love to Lester. We dining out or staying in?"

_Shit, I hadn't thought this through._ "Staying in. I'll grab Pino's and be at your place at 7?"

"Okay! Oh crap that reminds me, Bobby can you drop me back off at my apartment? Ranger drove me to the hospital so I need to grab my car." Bobby met my eyes in the mirror.

"Sure sweetheart, not a problem." When we pulled in to her parking lot a few minutes later we were met with the sight of it full of police and firetrucks.

"What the hell??" She grabbed the door handle and flung it open almost before Bobby stopped the car, and I was out right after close on her heels. I saw her friend the vice cop standing around with a few other faces I recognized but didn't know the names. "Joey!"

"Cupcake!" The cop ran up to her hugging her tightly and I had to squelch the jealousy running through me.

"What happened?" She said when he finally let go of her. I saw Bobby out of my peripheral come and stand next to me as we waited.

The cop glanced at the two of us, nodding slightly to acknowledge we were there. "Have you had any run ins with anyone lately Cupcake?"

She looked at him, her head cocked to one side like she was confused at his question. "What do you mean?" That's when the firetruck moved and she could see where her apartment was…I say was because now it was just a huge black mark. "OH MY GOD REX!" she grabbed the cops arm as tears started to fall "Please tell me someone got him Joe!" He smiled and crooked his finger so she would follow him. He walked to the back of a sedan that had to be his, opened the door and there was a glass aquarium. I heard Stephanie gasp and she grabbed him around the neck kissing him hard on the mouth for a second before letting go and dropping down in front of the cage, talking quietly to her pet.

Another cop walked by and I made a motion for him to stop. "Can you tell us what happened?" He gave me a why are you talking to me look so I explained. "We work with Miss Plum, and we are a security company. If she's in danger then we need to know-" I looked at his badge "Detective Gazarra."

"Eddie, please. I recognize you guys from the precinct the other night with Steph." He looked over at her and Morelli standing by the car before turning back to us. "First off, she's family. I feel like I should explain that because you might see quite a few overprotective guys hanging around. We all " He waved his hand at the group of cops standing around "grew up together. So believe me when I tell you there's no shortage of men watching out for her. You'll need to be okay with that if she's working with you." Bobby and I looked at each other and nodded. "Second, you obviously know she's a BEA. She's never had an issue with any of her skips before, just an occasional injury on a hard take down. She's actually really good at her job, but I'm guessing if she's working with you guys its because she isn't good enough."

"We brought her in to Rangeman to help train her. She'll have back up and access to anything she needs working with us." I explained. "Plus she will help us out immensely."

"She already has. One of our guys got shot last night and she barged right in demanding to see him and get information we couldn't get." Bobby added on. "It helped the men greatly knowing she was there. We were actually on our way from the hospital after he was released to bring him back home when we stopped to pick up her car. Can you tell us what happened?"

Eddie nodded "I'll tell you what I know. We got a call about a suspicious looking vehicle hanging around the complex this morning. Before we could get anyone out here to check the super Dillion called, saying he was evacuating the building due to a gas leak. By the time we got here the residents had been cleared out , and the fire department was about to enter when an explosion happened." He looked back at Steph before turning back to us his voice lower. "Her apartment is basically gone." I heard a hiss come from Bobby and I mirrored it.

"Gas leak intentional?" I said through gritted teeth and he nodded again.

"Looks that way. Thankfully there weren't many residents home, Dillion grabbed Rex when he realized Steph had already left and made sure he was safe til we got here. Someone pulled the hose on her stove, but until we can get up there we won't know what caused the actual explosion." Steph and Morelli walked back over to us at that point so we made sure to change our angry faces for blank ones. Eddie made his break out into a smile. "Heya Girlie! I'm glad you weren't here for this."

She sniffed and nodded. "Joe told me, everything's gone. I can't believe it, I just had that stupid thing serviced not a few days ago." That caused all four of us to pay attention.

"The stove beautiful?" I put my arm around her and drew her close to me. "You had the stove looked at ? When?"

She leaned into me, her head against my chest, arm wrapped around my waist. "Um, the day before we met. I had someone come out and look at it, they replaced a hose or something and said it was fine. I don't understand what happened."

I leaned down , placing a kiss on her temple. "I don't know beautiful, but it's a good thing we kept the apartment open on 4, now you and Rex have a place to crash while these guys figure it out." I looked at the detectives standing with us. "Is she free to go?"

Morelli spoke up. "Cupcake we can't get anything out of your apartment until they give us the all clear. Why don't you take Rex and go with them, and I'll call you when I have your clothes and stuff okay?" he pulled her out of my arm and gave her another tight squeeze. "Love you."

"I love you too Joey." She responded and gave him a kiss on the cheek before moving to the next man. "You too Eddie. Thanks for being here." I read his eyes as she hugged him and all I saw was concern and love.

"That's what family is for girlie. Don't forget you promised to stop by for dinner in the next few weeks." He pulled back and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Shirley and the kids miss you." She snorted at that and rolled her eyes.

"Your children are Neanderthals, but God help me I love them anyway. I'll call you and set the date later." She grabbed Rex and walked away from the men, waving a finger at them. When we got back to the car Manny's face was tight. I gave him a look but he shook his head slightly, I figured I would get the scoop later. We piled in and made our way back to Haywood.

**Stephanie's POV**

I couldn't believe it. Rex and I were homeless! Well, not exactly I mean they did offer me the apartment on 4 , but still. All my stuff, destroyed, and the cops have no idea why. I turned to Lester who had taken his seat next to me again "I guess dinner is on hold?"

He smiled at me "You aren't going to let a little fire ruin our dinner plans are you? My apartment instead, how about that?" I grinned back at him and nodded. The rest of the car ride was silent, and soon we were back at Haywood, my new home.

As we were getting out of the vehicle Cal appeared in front of me. He grabbed Rex's aquarium, handing it off to a man behind him I didn't recognize and then scooped me up, squeezing tightly. "Uh… Cal? Can't…breathe…" He sat me back down and eased up a bit but didn't completely let go. _I guess they've heard about my apartment. _

"Yes Angel, it was on the scanners." He pulled back and kissed me quickly, staring into my eyes. "It took everything for us all not to jump into a vehicle and race down there, but we knew you were with these guys so you were alright." He leaned forward so his forehead was touching mine and waited a beat before standing straight and letting me go. "Ella has your room ready, and Ranger wants to see you in his office on 5 as soon as you're ready." He nodded to the man that had Rex who disappeared into the elevator.

"Wait! Where's he taking him?"

"Junior is just going to get him settled in your apartment Angel. Don't worry, he's perfectly safe here." Cal looked down at me again and I swear I saw a flash of… fear? in his eyes before he slammed the typical Rangeman blank face into place again.

"Report?" Lester barked , I guess he was next in line after Ranger and Tank.

"Hector is already working on leads. He's checking with the company that came out for the service call, and he has "calls" in to his contacts on Stark." _Wait, what?_

"Stark Street? Why is Hector asking people there about my apartment?" _This is so confusing. _

"Why don't you go up to your apartment sweetheart, and I'll check on you in a few minutes okay?" Bobby put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I looked at Lester, Cal and Bobby who all had the same look in their eyes, they were keeping something from me. Then I saw Manny sitting in the passenger seat still and shook my head.

"No. I need to help Manny get to his apartment. I'll sit with him while you guys do whatever needs to be done, or discuss whatever needs discussing." I helped him out of the car and held his hand as we walked to the elevators. As the doors were closing I looked back at the three men I had walked away from and their faces had changed from blank to something different. As soon as the doors closed I slumped against the back wall of the elevator, afraid I would fall. Manny must have known.

"You don't have to do this wifey. I'll be fine, really." He stood next to me, fingers interlocked with mine. "You could use a-"

"Sugar. I could use sugar." He chuckled and as the doors opened on 4 he said "Good thing I keep the good stuff hidden in my apartment then huh?"

**A/N: I had to stop there… my hands are cramping LOL next up… donuts and conversations! **


	13. A Night to Remember Chapter 13

**A/N: You guys… I have hit over 100 reviews on this story and I AM ECSTATIC!!! You really know how to make a girl feel special! Thank you for loving this story as much as I do!! Forgive me if the updates are more sporadic for awhile, I've moved into my next phase at my job and it's taking a lot out of me!!**

Chapter 13

**Manny's POV**

I let Stephanie in to my apartment , throwing the key down on the side table. "Welcome to my humble abode Wifey." I shut the door behind her and walk over to the kitchen to grab the hidden stash of sugar I have in my cupboard when a wave of pain shoots through me. Steph saw my face and recognized it immediately.

"Sit down, let me do that for you!" She fusses until I give up and sit in the couch. As she rummages through my kitchen cabinets I take a good look at the woman that most of Rangeman has been up in arms over since being introduced to her, and I can see the appeal. She has long legs, even though they're hidden underneath the jeans she is wearing I heard some of the guys talking about her outfit from the night they met her, the distraction and capture she did of Borne. Apparently she looks **very** good in heels and a short skirt. Her hair was chestnut colored, and crazy curly. I could tell she didn't like it down, it kept falling in her face and she would blow it up and over every few seconds, but I just wanted to run my hands through it. I felt comfortable with her for some reason, in a way I hadn't felt about anyone in a long time. I don't know if it was because of how she stepped up for me at the hospital, or just her personality, but it took me by surprise.

She finally found my stash of sweets, I heard her mutter "YES" under her breath as she plopped down next to me on the couch. "These are almost as good as Boston Crèmes." She broke one of the generic store donuts I had hidden in half, and then half again before popping a piece into her mouth, making the moaning noise I had heard the guys talking about before blushing and offering me a piece. I grinned at her and shook my head, it was too entertaining listening to and watching her enjoy it.

"So Wifey, tell me about yourself." I said. After a few moments of her relishing the donut I couldn't handle it anymore. I needed conversation.

She swallowed her bite, brushed the crumbs off of her lap and turned to face me. "Well, there's not a lot to tell. I grew up in the 'Burg, youngest child to my parents Frank and Helen Plum. I have an older sister, Valerie, and two nieces I adore. Mom is a 'Burg woman through and through. She figured Joey and I would be married by now and I would have popped out a few kids."

"Oh… and why aren't you?"

"Married to Joey? Uhhhhh because he's like my annoying older brother!" She wrinkled her nose making me laugh. "Seriously, we are best friends and closer than two human beings that aren't actually related should be, but that would never happen. I love him sure, but not like that. " _Good to know._

"So no marriage? No kids?" She shook her head.

"I've never fit that 'Burg mold. When I was 7 I jumped off the roof of our garage because I was convinced I could fly, and I've been trying to ever since."

That made me smile. I got the image of a young Stephanie Plum, brown curls whipping all around her as she jumped off the roof of the garage, her arms spread out, truly believing she would fly. "What happened?"

She shrugged "The inevitable. Gravity took over, and I broke my arm in 2 places." She stuck her arm out in front of my face and pointed "There's the scar!" I couldn't help but lean down and kiss the mark she showed me, causing her to blush a deep red.

We sat and talked for what seemed like minutes, but in reality was a few hours. I told her about my life, my brothers and parents, where I grew up. I felt completely at ease around her, and knew I had found a life long friend.

**Stephanie's POV**

Manny and I talked for hours, it was amazing to truly get to know him! I knew I must have been boring him, but he didn't act like it, which was nice. When he stifled a yawn I realized he needed a nap so I handed him a pain pill, and sent him off to bed. As I was getting him settled I heard a soft knock on the door, and when I checked found Lester and Bobby on the other side.

"Hey guys. Manny just laid down, you need me?"

Bobby gave me a kiss on the cheek as he walked past and straight into Manny's bedroom, ignoring my statement. Lester leaned against the doorway and smiled at me. "So beautiful, been getting to know your new husband ?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "You guys aren't going to let this go are you… yes, Manny and I have had a nice talk. Then he got tired so I made him lay down. You guys ready to tell me what's going on with my apartment?"

Lester shook his head and pulled me close to him, causing my stomach to flip as he gazed down into my eyes. "I'm not trying to keep anything from you beautiful, we don't know a lot and wanted to verify some information before we talk about it." He leaned down and my heart started to beat rapidly as he placed a soft kiss on my lips. He pulled back and grinned at me "You got your sugar fix huh?"

I subconsciously licked my lips and saw his eyes shift to deep green as he watched my tongue. "Yes." I said in a whisper, and it felt like the heat went up 30 degrees in the apartment. He leaned in to kiss me again when his phone buzzed.

"Yo." He answered, staring at me and smiling. "Be there in 5." He hung up and kissed my forehead. "Well beautiful, you got your wish. Meeting in the conference room, Hector has gotten some answers back about the explosion at your apartment." He let go of me and walked to Manny's bedroom to inform Bobby, then walked back to me, grabbing my hand. "Care to accompany me?" I giggled.

"Shouldn't someone stay here to watch out for Manny?" He shook his head.

"I checked his injuries sweetheart, and he's gonna be out a few hours. He needs to rest anyway, he'll be fine until we're done." Bobby announced as he walked out of the bedroom, black bag in hand. "I heard you already had your sugar fix, but here." He pulled out a sucker from his bag and handed it to me. "For later." He said, winking at me.

"You are the best Robert Brown, I think we should get married."

"Oh sweetheart, you know just what to say to a guy!" He laughed and walked out of the apartment, with Lester and I following close behind. I shut the door quietly and made a mental note to come back after the meeting to check on Manny.

Walking in to the 5th floor conference room with Bobby in front and Lester with his hand on my back guiding me, I got a sense of dread. _Do I really want to know who is after me? _ I stayed back on the edge of the room, leaning against the wall as Lester and Bobby took their seats at the table. I felt my neck tingle and looked up to see Ranger standing next to me.

"Babe. You want to take a seat?" I shook my head, I didn't trust my voice. He nodded and took his spot at the head of the table. "Hector, you have the floor."

Fascinated I watched Hector start typing on his laptop, and pictures appear on a empty wall, almost like a high tech murder board you see in all those crime shows. "This is Anthony Sizemore." A picture appears on the wall and it takes me a second before I realize who I'm looking at.

_FUCK! _ All eyes turn towards me as I clap my hand over my mouth. "Shit, sorry." I feel my face turn red as Ranger gives me his best blank face.

"Babe, something to add?" I shake my head rapidly as Hector continues.

"His son Mark Sizemore was brought into police custody a month ago…" I close my eyes and sink to the floor as I remember the day I met the Mark Sizemore.

_Flashback_

_"Hey Connie, got anything for me today?"_

_"Heya Steph!" Connie waves at me with one hand while blowing the freshly painted nails of the other. "Yup, grab these here." She said pointing to the stack of files with her free hand. I do , then flop down on the cracked leather sofa to peruse them._

_Okay, this isn't bad. Mooner and Dougie needed to be picked back up, that's easy enough. I check the time and my phone, and determine that I should be able to pick them up after the Star Trek marathon that's running on the sci fi channel gets done in an hour. I skim through the next few files, and don't see anything that jumps out at me. Burglary, grand theft auto (okay that might be more difficult, I'll bring Joey with me on that one), petty larceny… then I get to the last folder and gasp._

_Mark Sizemore, age 33, son of crime kingpin Anthony Sizemore. If he wasn't a criminal himself he might be cute. Mark had dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a complexion that reminded me of Malibu Ken, dark but not too dark. Then I saw what he was arrested for, and the good looks were forgotten. Sexual assault and attempted murder. Holy shit this guy was out of my league! "Connie are you sure about this guy?" I waved the file at her and she nodded._

_"Yeah usually we would have another agent pick him up, but they're backed up and I haven't heard from him. You got this Steph! Besides you can take Joe with you right?" I thought about it and decided maybe I should ask Joe before assuming he would come help me. Thankfully he agreed to meet me at Pino's so we could talk about the skip, and make a plan to take him down._

_A week later I still didn't have Sizemore back in custody, and my time was running out. I poured over any records I could get for the guy, and finally found his weakness, the strip club._

_ Domino's was a local strip club and my skip was there every Wednesday and Friday nights. I called the owner, who happened to be a friend of mine, and begged for him to let me "work" a shift Friday night so I could catch my FTA. He agreed. Joe almost has a coronary when I told him my plan, BUT he agreed to join me and even brought along Carl and Big Dog as back up, because what red blooded Male WOULDN'T want to see their childhood friend dressed like a stripper? I drew the line at him inviting Eddie, that would just be weird._

_Thankfully my friend Sam had a waitressing job set up for me , much to the boys dismay. It still meant me getting dressed in a skin tight leather skirt and a halter top, wearing 4 inch fuck me boots that came up to my thighs, all while trying to balance a tray loaded with drinks. That should have been entertainment enough for them right? Sizemore showed up as expected, I did my typical distraction speal (boyfriend dumped me, he's a no good loser who hates my job and wants me to quit) and he fell for it hook line and sinker. The rub came when I tried to get him to follow me outside so the guys could get him, and he caught wind of my desperation. He ended up grabbing a knife and holding it against my neck, using me as a shield to get out of the club. The guys took the opportunity when he was distracted (by my 4 inch heel digging into his foot) to take him down, and he was sent off to jail._

_2 weeks later he was dead._

_End flashback _

"I got Mark killed." I whispered, and Hector stopped talking while everyone else looked at me.

"Babe?"

I gulped and told them the story of how I met Sizemore, and how he had gone back to jail because of me. He was shanked in the prison showers by some enemy of his father, but he wouldn't have been there at that exact moment if I hadn't taken him down that night. "His father blames me." Why wouldn't he? I blame me for his sons death too.


	14. A Night to Remember Chapter 14

**A/N: Ranger needs to make a move yes? No worries Babe fans…its coming…I'm planning something epic! Also we introduce another well loved(?) or at least well known character that Steph knows, but in a different way. **

Chapter 14

**Stephanie's POV **

After that part of the meeting Ranger told me go to his apartment on 7 and sit by myself for a few minutes. He could tell I needed space, although the guys wanted nothing more than to be there for me. Hell they all tried to crowd around me, giving me hugs and telling me it wasn't my fault. I appreciated their efforts, and their sweet words, but they weren't enough to pull me from my despair, plus I was starting to feel claustrophobic. _ I did this. This is my fault. _ I remember the way Anthony's eyes looked at me after his son was re arrested, and then again when it had been made known he was killed. I had been at the precinct when he was brought in and notified, I guess they did that because of his reputation and connections. _Joe. I need Joe. _

I picked up my phone to call my best friend when it suddenly buzzed in my hand, causing me to jump. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line only spoke two words before hanging up, but they were enough to make me tremble. "You'll pay." I dropped my phone on the ground and pulled my knees to my chest , petrified for a moment that the man on the other end of the phone would reach through and grab me. I didn't hear the apartment door open, or see anyone that had come in until I felt a hand on my knee causing me to jump. _Shit I need to be more aware of my surroundings! _

"Babe? What happened?" Ranger was there in a flash, sitting next to me on the couch, pulling me close to him. I looked up into the eyes of his three partners, and something in me broke.

I started sobbing uncontrollably. The guys were out of their depth I could tell, apparently they had never dealt with a crying female before. I saw through my tears Bobby move to my other side, and Lester kneel in front of me his hands on my legs. Tank stood silently to the side, observing. They let me cry, waiting patiently for my sobs to die down before trying again.

I pointed to the phone that had landed on the floor. "Sizemore." Was all I got out before Lester jumped up, grabbing my phone and taking off out the door with it. I didn't ask, I figured he knew what he was taking it to someone who wasn't a basket case at the moment. Looking at the remaining men I saw anger written all over their faces. I took a deep breath in and the scent of his body wash tickled my nose, calming me. I leaned into Ranger, sniffing. His face softened and he even smiled at me as I said "You smell good."

Tank and Bobby chuckled to themselves as he replied "Babe." I moved away from Ranger and went to stand so I could splash some cold water on my face when I saw black spots and my head started swimming.

Next thing I remember I felt silk, or satin… something smooth against my skin. I opened my eyes and saw three pairs of eyes staring down at me. "What the hell happened?" I looked over to my left and saw Bobby sitting on the bed next to me. He had his hand on my wrist, and I saw an IV sticking out of my arm. "Bobby?"

"When did you eat last sweetheart?" _Shit. I'm gonna guess a donut this morning with Manny doesn't count._ "Good guess." He responded , sighing. "You fainted. You're dehydrated and your blood sugar is low. Your blood pressure isn't great either. You need to rest and let us take care of Sizemore." He kissed my cheek and stood, sharing a glance with the other three.

"I can't just lay here and do nothing, I won't do that. I won't be a burden." I remembered my conversation with Manny in the hospital and started getting agitated when I saw Bobby with a syringe in his hand coming back toward me. "Don't you dare Robert Brown! Do NOT SEDATE ME!"

"Babe, you've got to calm down. Please, let him help you rest, you need it."

I shook my head at Ranger "I'll lay here, but give me a laptop. I need to do some work." I shot a glare at Bobby "I mean it, don't stick me with that thing."

He held his hands up in surrender. "If you promise to stay here and get some rest and finish this bag of fluids, then I won't." I gave them my best 'Burg glare and a growl, but agreed.

Tank reappeared _again, d__idn't even notice he had left! I gotta work on that_ with a laptop in his hands. "You can use mine Little Girl. What are you working on?"

I propped myself up against the headboard, took the laptop from him and started my searches. I needed to find Anthony, and anyone he had in his organization who could have been responsible for my apartment explosion. I needed to get in contact with a friend of mine that could help me with that, because now that I had a minute to sit and think, I wasn't sad or scared, I was pissed. And pissed Stephanie doesn't play. I didn't want to lie to these guys who had done nothing but supported me since we met, but I couldn't tell them everything. They wouldn't understand, and they would most definitely **not** be okay with me contacting who I needed to. "I need Manny." Ranger's and Lester's faces tightened when I made mention of him, but I ignored them. " If I promise to sit still and let the bag of fluid run can I please go to his apartment? I'll seriously go crazy if I'm sitting here alone."

Ranger pulled out his phone, sending a message to Manny I assumed because within 2 minutes he was in bed with me. The other four men left, but not before dropping kisses on my forehead and reminding me to rest.

"So Wifey, not that I'm complaining about the request for my company but I heard you needed to rest? What the hell happened?" Manny turned to me with a confused look on his face. "And explain why are we in Rangers bed?"

Sighing I showed him the laptop, skipping his last question. Something I had worked on in my spare time was an encrypted computer program that let me get in contact with people that aren't easily contacted. "I'm calling a friend. I have an acquaintance that runs in the same circles as Sizemore, so I'm going to set up a meeting. I don't suppose you have your phone do you?" he gave a sideways glance and handed it to me. "Thanks. I need to call Joe and get him up to speed."

"Again I ask, what happened? Why are you hooked up to that?" He pointed at the IV bag attached to my arm. "Ranger didn't say much, just that I was needed up here."

"Long story short, I fainted. I promised them I would let these fluids run, but I need your help. After I do I've got to get out of here."

"Steph, you need to stay here." Manny's face got tight, his nose scrunched. "These guys, **we**, will protect you."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I know they want to Manny, I get it. And I'm sure they're really great at security, but my friend… he can help me more than they can. And me being here is putting you all in danger." I dialed Joe's number and put him on speaker phone before Manny had a chance to ask any further questions.

"Morelli"

"Joe it's me. Listen I don't have long, I needed to update you."

"Cupcake ! Thank God, I was worried when I didn't hear from you after you got to Manoso's place. You figure out who is behind this?"

"Yeah, Sizemore." I heard him suck in a deep breath and hiss as he let it out. I was pulling up the software program off the dark web while I talked. "Joey I need to meet him."

"No fucking way Stephanie. The guy thinks you got his son killed. He blames you, he's blown up your apartment-"

"He called my cell. I'm using a different phone... by the way say hi to Manny you're on speaker." I nudge Manny with my knee and he grins.

"Hello Detective, nice to meet you… sorta."

"Hey man, sorry about your injury."

"Thanks, I'll be good as new in no time. Your BFF is a force to be reckoned with you know?"

"Tell me about it. Listen Steph, I know you think this will be good, you'll get Sizemore to understand, say he's sorry… you may be charming Cupcake but this guy is the bottom of the barrel. He's a mobster for crying out loud!!"

"Yeah and? Harry the horse owns the bail bonds place, and he's been nothing but kind to me since I started there. He's treated me nicer than my cousin has! I have to do this Joe. I'm calling A, and arranging a sit down. I need one thing from you."

I could hear him groaning and what sounded like muffled curses. "What."

"When Ranger calls you, don't tell him where I am okay? Or any of his men except Manny. He's the only one you give an update to. I'll be in contact soon. Love you Joey."

"Love you Cupcake." I could hear the tension in his voice as he said the words. I closed my eyes, take a deep breath and hang up.

"Okay a few questions." Manny said, sitting up straighter and turning towards me, watching my fingers fly across the keyboard of the laptop. "One. Who is A? And two. Why me? Why am I the contact person? Again, not mad or complaining or anything but…"

I stopped, cocking my head to one side and looking at him. "Because , I can trust you to think with your brain, not your dick. You won't be rushing out of here headfirst into a mob war trying to find me or rescue me. I don't need to be rescued, I've got this."

Manny threw his head back and laughed "And why do you think that I wouldn't be thinking with that head when it came to you?"

"You said you didn't have a wife or girlfriend, you never told me you weren't seeing someone. I saw the photos in your apartment…" I could see his eyes get wide as saucers. "Please don't worry, your secret is safe with me Manny. I'm just curious, do the guys not know? Because when I mentioned I wanted you to stay with me, Ranger and Lester both looked like they swallowed a bug or something." I laid my head on his shoulder and continued to type, waiting for him to respond.

After a few minutes of silence he did. "I can't believe you caught it. I… I never…" I let him work through what he was going to say to me about the photo I had seen, only moving to check the IV bag and then repositioning myself snuggled against him.

I saved him from his embarrassment. "What's his name?"

**A/N: Wwwhhhhaaaaaaat?!? Okay so some revelations there! I've been agonizing over this chapter for 3 days trying to get it right. Did I do ok? **


	15. A Night to Remember Chapter 15

**A/N: oh boy! I'm moving a tad slow on this because I kinda want to draw the story out a bit… I'm tweaking things in my mind as I write. I promise, you WILL get your moment Babes!**

Chapter 15

**Manny's POV **

My heart leapt into my throat at her words "What's his name?" I had been frightened of those words since I was in high school. Not just the words themselves, but the meaning behind them. No one at Rangeman knew I was bisexual and I hadn't planned on telling them, ever. I forgot I had put up the photo booth strip of our date to Atlantic City in my bedroom, I guess Steph saw it when she helped me lay down. I could feel my blood pressure rise, and I started to sweat. When I glanced down at Steph, her bright blue eyes were looking at me, and it caused my body to shake. She leaned over, brushing her lips against my cheek before interlocking the fingers of her left hand with my right one. "Manny, you can trust me."

I knew she was right, she had stepped up when I was in the hospital by pretending to be my wife, taking care of me when we got back to the apartment, even now. I could feel the love radiating off of her. No hate, no bigotry, just love and acceptance. I took a deep breath and told her the story of the man in the photo, my childhood "friend" Max, who I had been in love with for as long as I could remember. My family was open and accepting, his wasn't so we weren't public with our relationship. "No one here knows. They know **OF** him but not details. Steph, I…" She just squeezed my hand , like she was trying to transfer her calmness to me. It worked, my breathing slowed and I could feel my heartbeat going back to normal.

"You know they wouldn't care." She whispered , and she was right, but I couldn't take the chance. Thankfully the laptop started ringing at that moment and our heart to heart was put on pause while she answered.

"Hello A. Good to see you again."

"Peanut, what have you gotten yourself in to now?" I heard the voice come through the speaker but didn't recognize it at first. "Are you in the hospital? Is that an IV?"

"Yes it is, but no I'm not at a hospital, I'm at a secure location for now. I need to meet with you. Can I come out to the house?"

"Of course peanut, you're more than welcome here any time. Shall I let Homer know you're coming? He's missed you." I felt her shiver, but didn't know why.

"No it's fine, just tell Phoenix and Trouble I'll see them this afternoon. Bye Alexander." She pushed the disconnect button and made the move to get up off the bed, but stopping when I grabbed her hand.

"Steph, was that who I think it was?" The look on her face confirmed my fear.

"Yes, that was Alexander Ramos."

**Stephanie's POV**

I got ready for a fight from Manny, although this may be easier with him than Ranger , or any of the other guys, just because we had shared so much already with each other. "Yes, that was Alexander Ramos. I am…close to him and his family." I went to remove the IV and Manny stopped me again with his hand in mine, tugging me back to the bed.

"Sit down and explain." I glared at him and he responded with "Please." _Okay, I can do this... _

"Alex is a godfather to me. Honorary, not literally. I've known his family for years, we ran in to each other on a case a few years back, a skip I was chasing. Alex helped me out and then introduced me to his family. His son Homer and I had dated, **BRIEFLY** a year prior to that, before I knew who Homer really was. It wasn't a great period of my life, I was taking unnecessary chances in my skip tracing and bond enforcement work while Joe was out of town on an assignment. It was a random encounter that didn't lead to more than a couple of dates, and some really great sex. Then he dropped off the face of the earth, and I went back to my boring life. That was until I met Alexander, who then introduced his son. I'll never forget the look on Homer's face when he saw me, and I'm sure mine rivaled it. I know I should have been insulted, yelled at him and turned around to leave but I just couldn't do that to Alex. He still doesn't know the depth of our relationship, he thinks we're friends. I hate lying to him, but I feel ashamed." I hung my head and felt a tear drop onto my cheek before I got a chance to blink it away. Manny let go of my hand and reached over, wiping the pad of his thumb over my cheek, then putting it under my chin and raising my head to look at him.

"Steph, you shouldn't be ashamed. You have a past, everyone does. What are you afraid of here? That Ranger won't want you anymore? That none of the guys will? Or is it that Joe is going to be disappointed? From what I've seen he seems to think you hang the moon, and I know for a fact the guys here adore you already."

I shook my head, drawing away from him. "Joe knows. Hell he wanted to track Homer down and beat the shit out of him when he found out how he treated me. He also knows about Alex. He's not happy I'm so close to a mobster but, it comes in handy sometimes . Besides, he used to date Terri Gilman, and she's a mob princess, so he keeps his mouth shut. As for the guys here…." I shrugged. "Ranger has already told me his intentions, Lester hasn't vocalized it but I have a feeling that's what dinner was for tonight. I like them both, a lot…I like all of you. But this? This could be too much for them, and I wouldn't blame them if it was." I moved and started to unhook myself from the IV when he spoke again.

"Shouldn't you let them decide that?"

"Shouldn't you?" I responded without looking at him. I could hear him expel a breath of air at my words. "Manny, trust me on this. Let me handle Alexander and his son my own way. I'll ask you the same thing I asked Joe, please don't tell the men where I've gone. I'll have back up with Alexander's men if I need them."

"Phoenix and Trouble?" I nodded, trying not to smile at the thought of them. "I'm sure they're great, but I would feel better if I was with you." I looked at him wide eyed and shook my head vehemently.

"No way in hell! You're injured, and you're supposed to be resting. I could only imagine the shit I would get if you came with me! No. No way." I grabbed a tissue to wipe away the small amount of blood that appeared when I removed the IV, then threw it in the garbage next to the bed. "I need to change, and head out. If you want to help me , get me out of the building without anyone knowing." I grabbed the laptop, and he got up to follow me out the door down to my new apartment. When we walked in I said hi to Rex, rummaged through the cupboard and found him some snacks, then retreated to the bedroom to change. "You might want to wait out there, I'm getting dressed." Manny just shrugged and plopped gently onto my bed, leaning back against his one good arm to watch me. I shrugged back, pulled off my shirt, walked to the closet and grinned. I adore Ella. She had apparently been busy while I was up on 7. The closet was filled with shirts and dresses, amazingly enough all my perfect size. I turned and pulled open the drawers and found cargo pants plus jeans in one drawer, and undergarments in another. "How did she…?"

I could hear Manny laughing behind me on the bed. "She's magic I'm telling you." I rolled my eyes and smiled, going back to the closet and picking out a wrap dress that looked comfortable and was flared enough to hide the thigh holster that I was still sporting. I unfastened the holster, setting it down on the dresser before turning back to my visitor on the bed. "Last chance before you see the goods." He threw his head back and laughed hard, then got up. Walking over to me he leaned in close and whispered "If I wasn't already committed to someone else, you and I could get in a lot of trouble together" I know my face was the color of a tomato, I looked down and saw my chest flushed.

"Wait…but… I…"

"I'm bisexual Wifey. So although I'm probably the only male here that **WON'T** be actively pursuing you, that doesn't mean I don't like the view." He kissed me softly on the lips and walked out of the bedroom to the living room area. I shook my head and giggled, then stripped my remaining clothes off. I changed quickly into the dress , strapped my holster back in it's spot and checked the closet again, this time for shoes. I found the perfect pair of knee high boots, with just a slight heel but were sturdy enough to run in if I needed too. Throwing my curls up into a makeshift bun, I swiped on some mascara and called it good. Giving myself one last look in the mirror, I gathered up the courage to face Homer Ramos again.


	16. A Night to Remember Chapter 16

**A/N: So I haven't mentioned this before but in case you weren't sure, I don't own anybody in this story except Phoenix and Trouble, my very own versions of the Merry Men (I wish I owned the rest of them!!) Trouble is a recurring character in my stories, but this time his back story is different. Phoenix is brand new, I hope you enjoy them, they are crazy guys!****Also is it just a happy coincidence that Manny and Alexander have the same last name? Hmmmm….. **

Chapter 16

**Stephanie's POV **

I leaned up against the breakfast bar with the laptop, running a scan to make sure I got rid of any trace of my program I had been using. Once it was clear I shut it down, turned and handed it to Manny. "Please give this back to Tank after I leave, I wiped any traces of the program I used." The look in his eyes was… confusing. "What?"

A smile crept onto his face and he looked me up and down. "You look nice. I checked, Hal is on monitors, you should have no problem distracting him." I rolled my eyes and laughed, _poor Hal. He won't know what hit him. _ Manny gave me the keys to his personal vehicle, which he knew wasn't being tracked, and gave me a kiss for luck before going back to his apartment. I loaded up my purse with essentials and headed down to the garage, hoping that I could get there without Hal trying to stop me. Alas, he didn't get my ESP.

"Hey Miss Plum, um… Ranger requested you stay here…." His face was red when his eyes ran me over bottom to top. "You look pretty."

_Oh Hal…sweet sweet Hal…_ "Thanks Hal, that's so sweet of you to say. Listen, I wouldn't normally ask this from you, I know you're just following Rangers orders but I have to go to a meeting. So could you do me a huge favor and maybe not tell Ranger or the guys I've gone? It would mean a lot." I stood in front of him batting my big blue eyes and smiling at him. _He really is cute…God I hope he doesn't hate me after this._ "I promise I'll be fine, I have my gun with me-" I pointed to my thigh, but refrained from flashing the poor man, I didn't think his heart could take it. "It won't take me long and then I'll be back." I could tell he was waffling, but he was taking too long. I felt the stun gun in my bag, flipped it on and pleaded with him one more time. "Really I'm just going to see an old friend and then I'll be right back." He opened his mouth to tell me no(at least that's what I'm telling myself) so I pulled out the stun gun and zapped him. His eyes went wide when he realized what I was about to do, and I felt my heart break a little. "I'm so so sorry!" I whispered before he crumpled to the ground like a rag doll. I got in Manny's car and sped out of the garage as fast as possible, making my way towards Alexander's house.

I made good time, making it to the Pine Barrens where Alex had his compound in less than 30 minutes. It helped Manny's car was fast, and there was little traffic on the roadways. I pulled in to the massive drive, stopping at the front gate and waving to the camera. As the gate opened I pulled in and made my way to the front of the house. Thankfully I put the car in park before I was pulled out of it by two very overgrown children. "Phoenix! Trouble! Put me down dammit I'm in a dress!!"

Phillip "Phoenix" Martin and Ken "Trouble" Maines were worse than kids. I had grown close to them working with Alexander, they were charged with "guarding" me during that time. Mainly they kept Homer away from me, since they knew something hinky had gone down between us and could tell I was uncomfortable, even though they didn't know details. They never asked either which I greatly appreciated, it was embarrassing. From what I could tell they hadn't changed much. Phoenix was dark skinned, with a flame tattoo running around the wide bicep of his right arm. He had dark spiky hair and eyes that rivaled Lester's in intensity and were a deep forest green. Trouble, he lived up to his nickname. Gorgeous, tall, tan and blonde he had eyes that were almost an ice blue, completely mesmerizing. Both of them were crazy fun and unbelievably sweet, and I loved them both dearly.

"SP! You never call, you never write. What the hell have you been up to?" Trouble twirled me around , making my skirt flare out and reveal my thigh holster. I heard both men growl. "Jesus SP, is it possible you've gotten hotter since we saw you last??" I gave him a hug and kiss before Phoenix grabbed me around the waist and picked me up.

"Its not possible T, it's definitely. Looking good sweetness!" I blushed and gave him a quick kiss and hug as well before he let me go.

"Thanks boys, you aren't looking too bad yourselves." I did a quick check around the grounds from where we were standing. "Is he who shall not be named here? I'm trying to avoid him if at all possible." I grinned at the two of them and they laughed.

"No he hasn't graced us with his presence today, so you're safe for now. Alexander is in the study expecting you." Trouble's hand came to rest on my lower back, guiding me inside the house, while Phoenix walked behind us. I heard him whistle and I had to giggle.

"T, you're missing a great view back here…" I wiggled a little bit as I walked and heard Phoenix groan. We walked into the study and there he was, my godfather the mob boss.

"Peanut!" Alexander stood and walked over to embrace me. "It's so good to see you." He kissed both my cheeks and waved a hand at the boys in an attempt to dismiss them.

"Actually Alex can they stay? I may need their help, and it'll be easier to just tell all three of you at once." Alexander nodded and we took our seats in his study, and I started in on the events that had occurred over the last few days.

**Ranger's POV**

_What the hell??_ I heard an alert go out as Tank, Bobby, Lester and I were in the conference room trying to come up with a plan of how to keep Stephanie safe. We ran out of the meeting into the hallway to find most of my men laughing. _Laughing??_ "Report!!" I barked and that stopped the hysterics for a moment.

"Seems _florecita_ took off." Hector said grinning.

"What??"_ I thought I employed competent men, how did that little woman get past them all?_ "Who let her go?" As I asked I saw Cal with his arm around Hal, helping him into a seat. He waved Bobby over, and stood up.

"Hal was downstairs in the garage. She… um… well…" Cal started but got interrupted.

"She tased me! She got dolled up, got me all flustered and twisted up smiling at me and batting her pretty blue eyes, and then she tased me!" All of us looked over at Hal who was understandably but unusually upset. Hal was always my gentle soldier, he did kill when needed but typically he was soft hearted and quiet, so this outburst was a bit of a shock coming from him. He had his head in one hand and using the other to shoo away Bobby who was trying to check him for any injuries. "Ranger I'm sorry. She mentioned she was going to see an old friend, and that she would be back soon. I told her you wanted her to stay here but then…" He made the motion of her hitting him with the taser and I could see all the men break into smiles. I admit, I wanted to as well but I had to remain stone faced in front of them.

"Mats, 0500 tomorrow." I told Hal and he just nodded. "Anyone happen to catch what vehicle she went in? They're all tracked, we can just pull it up and find her."

"That won't work Boss." A voice came from the direction of the elevator and we all turned towards it to see Manny leaning against the closed doors with a laptop in his good hand. He pushed off of the doors and started walking towards us, handing the computer to Tank.

"Why is that exactly?" I gritted my teeth, afraid I already knew the answer.

"She used mine." He responded, and it took everything I had not to further injure my man.

"What the fuck Manuel?? Where did she go and why did you let her leave?" I could feel the blood rushing to my face and my heartbeat quicken before feeling a hand on my shoulder that I recognized as belonging to Tank trying to calm me down.

"Ranger, she is perfectly capable of taking care of this situation on her own. She agreed to come here because she had no other option at the moment, but trust me when I say she doesn't need us to fix the Sizemore thing for her. She's got friends in really high places… and that's all I can say." He smiled and turned around to go back to his apartment.

"No way Ramos, we aren't done here!" He ignored me and kept walking. _That's it I don't care if he is injured I'm going to kill him._ "Call Morelli, he would know where she went. Hell call SWAT maybe they can track her down." I glared at his retreating back and stormed off to my office, slamming the door.

I knew I was acting like an overgrown child, but damn it if I wasn't worried about her. Manny said she had friends in high places… it dawned on me we didn't really do any sort of background check on her before agreeing to help her with her training and bringing her into our fold. I picked up my phone and dialed the cops cell number, praying he had answers.

**Joseph's POV **

The moment I heard my phone ring I knew it was him. I debated whether to answer it, but finally gave up. "Morelli."

"Have you talked to Stephanie lately?" His voice was low, and I could tell he found out about her escape.

"Yes, a few hours ago why?" _Yup play dumb Joe that will work ou_t.

"She stunned one of my men and took off. She didn't tell us where she was going, and took a vehicle that wasn't being tracked. She's in danger Morelli, where did she go?"

At that moment Eddie waved at me from my doorway _thank God a crime! _ "Sorry Manoso I have to run, crime doesn't stop for anyone. Later!" I disconnected and shook my head as Eddie laughed at me.

"Dude, what the hell was that? Did you just hang up on Ranger Manoso? THE Ranger Manoso?" The phone started ringing again in my hand and I know my face paled when I saw his name in the caller ID. "Uh oh … you had better answer that, or he might come down here… hell maybe he'll water board you! You know they were soldiers…"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes trying to come up with a plan. "Shut up Gazarra, he will probably be calling you next!" The phone stopped ringing _thank God _and I shoved it into the drawer of my desk before dropping my head onto my desk with a loud **THUNK**.

"What does he want anyway?" He walked in to my office and sat down in one of the chairs that were sitting in front of my desk. I raised my head and gave him a look, and I could hear the wheels turning in his brain. "Ohhhhh this is about Steph. I thought she was staying at his building while we figure out who firebombed her apartment?"

_Shit! I guess I need to fill him in, he is part of her family._ "Eddie you can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you okay? Please, it stays in this room." He nodded, eyes wide so I continued. "She knows who attacked her apartment, it was Anthony Sizemore." He recognized the name but it wasn't connecting so I spelled it out for him. "Steph brought in his son Mark awhile back, who was re arrested and killed in prison two weeks later. Daddy Sizemore is now blaming her. She took off to meet up with her godfather so she can request a meeting with Sizemore."

"What?! Joe are you serious right now??? No wonder Manoso is pissed! How could you let her leave there and not tell him where she was going? And who is her godfather?? I **am** related to her dammit I know all her relatives…" I waited for him to take a breath before continuing.

"Sorry Eddie, I promised her I wouldn't tell him or his men where she went. She will probably be mad at me for telling you what I have, because it will get back to her folks. You know your wife is a terrible gossip."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed and hung his head before looking at me again. "She'll really be okay? I mean, between us and Manoso's men we could probably protect her from this guy."

I shook my head. "No need. We need to work the legal angles and let her take care of the other part. If she needs help trust me, she'll let us know." I heard the phone buzzing in my drawer again. Rolling my eyes I took it out "Morelli!"

"Detective, I'm not sure what makes you think I'm a man that is okay with being hung up on, but I need you to understand something. I have deep feelings for your best friend, in fact I think I'm falling in love with her. So if you could kindly explain to me where she went and why she didn't tell us I would greatly appreciate that."

You could have knocked me over with a feather if I had been standing, I was in such shock. Eddie looked at me and I snapped out of my daze and shook my head at him. I wanted so badly to keep my promise to Steph, but he dropped a bomb I didn't see coming. "Okay Manoso, we should probably do this face to face. Where do you want to meet?"

"Haywood, 30 minutes. Come prepared to tell us everything." The phone went dead. Groaning I closed my eyes _she's going to be so pissed at me. _ I had forgotten all about Eddie sitting there until he spoke.

"I don't care what you say, I'm coming with you. She's my family Morelli, and if anything happens to her **I'll** be the one on the hook with her folks. So don't argue and let's go." He stood walking out of my office I could hear him tell Donna to mark us both unavailable for the next few hours and to give any calls to Carl and Big Dog. I got up slowly, grabbed my jacket and walked out feeling like I was walking to my own execution.


	17. A Night to Remember Chapter 17

**A/N: I just wanted to give the readers of my other fic Mayhem in Miami an update. I have not abandoned that story, I'm just stuck at the moment. I had the next chapter going one way, stopped, hated it, decided to delete it and now I can't think about any other way to move forward with it. So I'm really working to get it right. In the mean time please keep enjoying this story! This one for whatever reason is coming to me a lot easier.****Oh! So one review mentioned Harry having a different nickname… yeah sorry. I had Guys and Dolls on the brain when I wrote that and also totally forgot what his actual nick name was in the books (I need to go back and re read the first like 15 again). But I'll make the new name work out.****And yes, Manny's name is Manuel Alexander Ramos… ;)**

Chapter 17

**Joseph's POV**

Eddie and I pulled into the garage at Haywood to find a very angry looking Ranger standing waiting for us. I gulped and parked the car, saying a silent prayer the man didn't kill me before I got a chance to propose to my girlfriend or tell Steph how proud of her I was. He was silent on the elevator ride up, pointing to the conference room and shutting the door when we entered. Eddie and I looked around the room to find he had called basically his entire company to this sit down. _Shit she is going to kill me!_ Telling Ranger about where she was would be one thing, but his whole army of guys?

He silently pointed to two open chairs indicating he wanted us to sit and stood at the head of the table glaring at me. "Morelli, go ahead."

"Um, I thought it would just be you…" I trailed off and heard the men around me start grumbling.

"No way Morelli, we all care about beautiful. Start talking." I recognized the man talking as Lester Santos, Ranger's cousin and another one of Cupcakes admirers. So I did. I told them about her meeting Homer Ramos while I was out of town on a long term assignment, but that she didn't know who he really was, and how they dated for a few weeks , then he left her high and dry without so much as a "thanks for the great sex".

"She met Alexander a year or so later, he helped her out with a case she was working . She did great dealing with being involved with a mob boss til she was introduced to his son, Homer, and realized it was the same man that had crushed her heart. She never told Alexander the details of her and his sons' relationship, and as far as I know he's never asked. Alexander truly cares for Steph, as do his bodyguards." I avoid Eddie's eyes, I can feel his glare burning into the side of my face.

"Phoenix and Trouble." I hear a voice in the back speak up and see it coming from a guy in a sling.

"Manny I presume?" I asked and he nodded. "Yes, they care about Steph as much as Eddie and I do, and I'm guessing as much as you all now. They are both good guys, not military like you all, but might fit in here. If you told them they would be around Cupcake they would probably jump at the chance." I heard Ranger and Lester both growl at that comment. "Or maybe not."

Eddie cracked his knuckles, still glaring at me but recovering enough from his shock to speak. "Guys I told you at her apartment, there are a lot of guys that care about her. This macho tough guy shit is going to have to get squashed." Eddie spoke up. "This woman, she's a force to be reckoned with. People gravitate towards her, she has no idea why which is part of her charm. Do you guys know anything about her?"

They all shook their heads slowly, except Manny who just grinned, he must have gotten some background on Steph in the last couple of days that the rest of them hadn't been privy to. "She's tough. She will kill me for telling you all what happened with Homer, she hates to be pitied. So please, if you know what's good for you and me, don't act any differently around her. Ramos isn't the only guy that hurt her."

"She was married, briefly, to a man named Richard Orr. Ever hear of him?" Eddie asked and everyone shook their heads again. I swore under my breath as Eddie filled them in on that story, of her husband the attorney who she caught having sex with the whore of our high school class Joyce Barnhart , on their dining room table a month after the wedding, and I got lost in my thoughts. That was when everything changed for Stephanie. She became jaded and broken for awhile, not even me or Eddie could drag her out of her despair. Her mom pushed her to marry me saying I would never hurt her like that. My mom pushed me to marry her, so I could take care of my best friend without anyone gossiping about us being together all the time. It wasn't in the cards for us, and now I could see that as a blessing. I love that woman almost more than I have ever loved anyone, but looking around this room I know her great love is sitting here. One of them will just need to step it up and tell her before it becomes too late.

I see Ranger jump up out of his chair and start pacing, indicating Eddie has told him most of the story about Dickie. Yeah, her ex husband called himself Dickie, it should have been a flashing red light to everyone. "Listen, she's been through some major shit. These stories? Aren't even a quarter of the stuff she's made it through. So when I tell you she's got this? Believe me, she's got it." I look towards Manoso and ask "What else can I answer for you?"

**Stephanie's POV**

It took a while but I got the story out about Anthony and Mark Sizemore, and how Mark had been killed in jail after I had brought him back for skipping his bond. Alexander didn't look shocked when I said that, and it concerned me. "A, you're quiet. You're never quiet. What's going on?"

He got up from the chair he was seated in and made his way to me on the couch . "Peanut, I am so sorry-" he started before we were interrupted by a voice in the doorway.

"Well well, if it isn't the prodigal goddaughter come back home. Hello Stephanie, good to see you again." My eyes cut up to the voice and I took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello Homer. Nice to see you too." Phoenix and Trouble stood and made their way closer to me, a motion that wasn't lost on Homer or his father.

"Boys sit down, it's just Homer. Come in son, Peanut was just telling about the situation she's gotten herself involved in." He waved his son in and pointed to the chair he had abandoned when he came to sit next to me on the couch. "Sit Homer, listen. Go ahead peanut."

I sighed and watched Homer's face twist into something ugly briefly then go back to normal. He sat down in the chair and watched his father take my hands as I started my story again about Mark and Anthony, and my apartment. When I got to the phone call I had received Alexander's face got red, and he stood up walking out of the room. Phoenix followed him, Trouble stood near the doorway but stayed inside the room. I turned to Homer, not really wanting to speak to him but didn't feel I had a choice. "Where is he going?"

He shrugged at me. "You know Stephanie it surprises me after all this time that you think Dad will just drop everything to rescue you. Don't you have enough men trailing after you? Can't one of them help you out?"

I was done. With him and his smug attitude and his stupid gorgeous face. I jumped up and stared down at him, not even realizing Trouble had moved closer to me but still left me enough space so I didn't feel crowded. "Listen Homer, I get you don't like me okay? That was evident enough when you fucked me then left the next day and didn't return my calls." I heard Trouble growl and the sound was closer than he had been a moment previously I knew he was moving towards me in an attempt to protect me. "But what I have with your father is special. I love him, he is like a second father to me. So I will ALWAYS come to him if there is something going on, whether you like it or not." I stood in front of him with my arms crossed. "You can just deal with it." I stepped back when he stood up, leaning close to my face.

"Don't flatter yourself little girl. Dad finds you amusing, that's it. Eventually he will get tired of what a nuisance you are and send you packing. I'm his actual child, not you. So any notions you have about laying any sort of claim to all this-" He waved his hand around indicating the house "Are unfounded. Just leave, before I tell dad how we know each other. He won't think you're so precious then will he?"

I could feel the tears stinging my eyes but I refused to let him know it. I backed up a step and felt myself hit a wall of muscle. A hand touched my elbow and pulled slightly so I would move away from where I was standing. I did and Trouble came around in front of me, staring Homer down. "How dare you, you asshole." He didn't yell, he kept his voice low and even which was almost worse. " Stephanie is a good person and doesn't deserve to be treated this way. I think it would be best if you left. I'll tell Alexander you had business to take care of."

Homer laughed and got right up in Trouble's face. "You think? My father doesn't pay you to think he pays you to be the muscle. And why are you defending her? Let me guess, you want in her pants? I'll warn you, she is pretty vanilla…" That's as far as he got before Trouble reared back and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. At that moment Alexander and Phoenix came back in, and both stared at Homer laying on the floor.

"What happened here?" Alex asked, not at all sounding concerned his son was out cold.

"He was badmouthing Stephanie. I told him to stop, he didn't. I made him." Trouble said and walked off. I wanted so badly to follow him, thank him for sticking up for me but the look on Alex's face made me pause. He told Phoenix to get Homer to his room. After they left we sat back down, and he put my hands in his.

"Alex I need you to set up a meeting with Sizemore, please. I just need to talk to him, explain this isn't my fault." He shook his head and squeezed my hands.

"It isn't peanut, it's mine. I had his son killed in prison. He's going after you to get to me."


	18. A Night to Remember Chapter 18

**A/N: Oh boy! :) as a reviewer said "Ohhhh crap on a cracker!" INDEED!!****You guys I'm at almost 200 reviews!!! *happy dance* **

Chapter 18

**Stephanie's POV**

I was in shock, I mean I had to be right? My heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty and I felt like I could pass out at any second. In fact those dang black spots were swimming in front of my eyes… _don't pass out Stephanie don't pass out! Where is Bobby when I need him? Oh yeah, I left him at Haywood… _I took a deep breath and stared at Alexander. "Try that again… you had Mark Sizemore killed? And now his crazy father is blaming me?" I could feel the Rhino mode engaging, and knew I needed to walk away.

"Peanut I want you to stay here, with us. We will protect you, Homer and myself…" He stopped when I made a noise deep in my throat.

"Homer hates me Alexander, in case that wasn't abundantly clear from the whole Trouble having to knock him out thing. I don't want to be anywhere near him, and the feeling is mutual. So let's just forget me staying here, and tell me how you are going to fix this." I couldn't sit anymore I had to move so I got up and started pacing in front of him.

"Anthony Sizemore stole a large shipment of weapons from me, this was strictly payback. I had no idea you were the one that brought his son back to jail peanut, I am so sorry." To his credit he did look sorry, but I was too angry to care. I took a deep breath and sat back down next to him.

"Set the meeting, do whatever you need to. If you want me there I'll be there, but Alexander, give me some time to process this." I kissed his cheek and stood again to leave, begging the tears that were pooling in my eyes not to fall until I had left the room.

"Stephanie, please tell Manuel his father says hello." I stopped short and turned around, eyes wide and tears completely gone.

"What???" _I must be hearing things…_

"The car you're driving, belongs to Manuel Ramos does it not?"

I know my mouth was open wide, again with the shock thing. "I…yes? Manny is your son?" I walked slowly back to him and sat down. _How did I not get that at the hospital when I got Manny's full name??_ "Does he know?"

Alexander shook his head. "Not as far as I know , he has never contacted me. That car is mine, I gave it to his adoptive parents to give him when he was old enough. But peanut, I would love to meet him, if he's open to it. Go ahead and bring him with you next time, we will have a sit down all together. And about Homer-" _oh God._ "I wish I could remove the hurt he has inflicted on you. I don't know what happened, but I have an idea. Please don't say away because of him. I promise Trouble and Phoenix will keep him away from you." His eyes were so sad, so I agreed to come back with Manny within the next few days. I kissed him again and walked back to the car, taking off and making it back to Rangeman headquarters quickly.

As I pulled back in to their garage, I still couldn't believe what I had found out. I turned the car off and sat in the quiet for a moment reflecting on the bombs that had been dropped on me. I heard a noise and looked to my right to see Ranger standing with his arms crossed at the elevator doors. _You knew this was coming Plum. Time to face the music. _ I got out of the car and walked to him, head down. Before I could open my mouth I felt myself being pinned against the wall next to the elevator, and Ranger's tongue down my throat. It wasn't gentle, and it definitely wasn't expected. As quickly as it happened it stopped and he was back to his stone faced self, where as I was having a hard time breathing. "Ranger?" He shook his head and pressed a button on his key fob thingie before the elevator doors opened.

"Coming?" He pushed the button for floor 5 and I just nodded and walked in, standing next to him and staring. We disembarked on floor 5 and went straight to the conference room. I blanched as I walked in and saw the room full of employees, but my nervousness turned to anger when I saw Joe and Eddie sitting there too.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I hissed in Joe's direction and his face turned pale.

"Cupcake I'm sorry, I really am…"

Ranger cleared his throat and motioned for me to sit down. I refused, and stood there like a petulant child with my arms crossed. "Can you inform us what you've discovered?"

_They're just trying to help Stephanie, they're good guys._ "Yes, I spoke with my godfather, Alexander Ramos." I saw nods around the room meaning Joe had ignored what I asked him, telling them where I had been and who I had been with. "He will be meeting with Anthony Sizemore, and will call me when the meeting is to take place." I searched the room and found Manny leaning against a wall in the back. Our eyes locked and I did my ESP thing that we needed to talk, hoping he understood me.

"And? Why is Sizemore after you exactly beautiful?" Lester's voice popped up and I turned to see his green eyes full of questions.

"Turns out Mr. Sizemore and Alexander are rivals." _What can I say with the cops here... nothing. _ "Joe, Eddie I'm sorry but I need you to go." I lowered my head as I heard both men suck in their breath.

"Cupcake you can't mean that…"

"Girlie we love you, we just want to help…"

I shook my head. "You can't hear what I'm about to say. Please, just go. I'll call you both later." They rose slowly and walked past me, stopping to give me a hug and kiss before leaving the room. I know Joe felt the tension in my body when he leaned over and gave me the kiss, but at this point I didn't care. After they left and I made sure they weren't meandering in the hallway I took a deep breath and got back to my story. "Sizemore intercepted a gun shipment of Alexander's, and Alexander had Mark killed in prison as retaliation. Now Sizemore is going after me."

You could have heard a pin drop after I said that. The guys were completely floored, so I took the opportunity to voice my sorrow at my earlier escape. "I wanted to tell you all how sorry I am that I took off. I know that you were just trying to protect me and keep me safe, and I really hope you forgive me." I saw Hal at the table and knew I needed to apologize to him alone. "Alex will call me when he has set the meeting and I'll go back out to his house. This time with back up if you guys want to tag along, but truthfully the only one that can make this right or protect me is going to be Alex. He put this whole deal in motion, he will have to finish it." I caught Hal's eye and knew things wouldn't be okay until I apologized to him. "Can you guys give Hal and me a minute?" I motioned to him to follow me into the hallway and he did.

"Hal-"

"You don't need to say anything Miss Plum. Really." _God this hurts. I shouldn't have done that to him._

"Please, call me Steph or Stephanie, or any other nick name you come up with. Hal I have to do this okay please?" He just nodded and let me say my piece. "I am so sorry for zapping you. I feel terrible about it. You are a great guy and didn't deserve that at all. I was just… I needed to get to Alex, do you understand?"

He nodded again "I get it. I'll hear about it for months probably, and Ranger already called me to the mats tomorrow for allowing you to get the drop on me, but it'll blow over." He looked me up and down before turning red. "You really do look pretty."

_Awww. _ I pulled him down to my level and gave him a big kiss. "There, they can talk about that instead." I winked at him and walked back into the conference room with him trailing behind me.

**Joseph's POV **

_Shit she's pissed._ I felt the anger rolling off of her in waves when I tried to give her a hug and kiss after she asked Eddie and me to leave the room. We got back to the precinct and I walked back to my office trying to push the last couple of hours out of my mind. Eddie plopped down into my chair and glared at me until I responded.

"What Eddie?" I snapped at him.

"How long has she been involved with the Ramos' ?"

I sighed "A few years. She met Homer when she first started doing her BEA work, I was out of town and couldn't help her. I didn't know anything about him or that situation until it was over with for awhile. I wanted to kill him Eddie, believe me I did. Steph stopped me and told me he wasn't worth it." I scrubbed my hands over my face and started pulling up whatever records I could of anything illegal we could use to put Sizemore away. I looked back at Eddie and his face portrayed how I felt on the inside when I heard about her and Homer.

"He needs to disappear." He said in a low voice. "That's all there is to it."

I didn't disagree, but then again we were police officers and there wasn't a lot we could do legally. "I don't think we need to worry about that, I have a feeling Ranger and his men will end up taking care of Homer if need be." I changed my search to finding outstanding warrants for Homer to see if we could punish him that way instead, unfortunately nothing popped.

Eddie shook his head, got up and walked away. I felt bad for dropping that bomb about the woman he had adored since we were kids, I knew it was messing with his head.


	19. A Night to Remember Chapter 19

**A/N: I have been in a huge funk the last week, not feeling great and going through some major depression. So please forgive the long delay times. But I AM over 200 reviews which does make me extremely happy!! **

Chapter 19

**Stephanie's POV**

The men had tight faces when I walked back in to the conference room, I could tell they had a lot on their minds. I was conflicted. I'm sure Joe and Eddie told them some about my past, which I definitely would be giving them hell about that later. Above everything I hate being pitied. I am a good person, I've just had some shit happen to me… I decided to just let them ask their questions and get it over with. "Go ahead. Ask away." The men looked at each other but stayed silent. "I'm guessing Joe and Eddie have told you some of my past, I'm sure you have questions. What do you want to know?"

"How close are you to Ramos?" One voice spoke up and I squared my shoulders before answering.

"Alexander and I are close, I consider him my second father. I was working a case-"

"No. His son." I checked the faces around me and they were all blank, giving me no indication of what details Joe had given them. I knew Joe had to have said something or they wouldn't be asking.

"That's personal and not relevant." I said tight lipped and the men all shook their heads.

"It is beautiful, if he may be a threat against you. We aren't trying to pry into your personal life, but use us, let us help you." Lester said as he walked around the table and stood next to me, squeezing my hand.

I smiled at him. "Homer is a grade A asshole. I met him at a bar while I was running a distraction on my own. The skip never showed and he and I got to talking. It wasn't a great time in my life, Joe was out of town on a long term assignment and I was...lonely." I could feel my face turn red as I thought back to that night, and the ones that followed.

_Flashback_

_I was sitting waiting for my skip when I caught a glimpse of a gorgeous man walking towards me. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes , his jaw line was tight, and I could see he was packing (a gun as well as muscles) as he walked up to me. His eyes traveled up my legs and narrowed at the sight of my tiny skirt, then kept going until they met my eyes. I smiled shyly at him and he gave me a wide grin in return._

_"Hello there… you look like you could use some company. Is this seat taken?"_

_The cheesy pick up line didn't bother me, I was too busy trying not to self combust. "It is now. My name is Stephanie, you are?" I stuck my hand out to him and he grabbed it, kissing my knuckles._

_"Homer Ramos. Nice to meet you Stephanie."_

_The night sped by after that, I had multiple drinks in me and Homer stayed by my side the entire night. He was gallant and smart, talking to me about the family business he was in and how I would make a great addition to it. We ended the night amicably and agreed to see each other soon._

_It took a few more dates before things got physical, and boy did they ever get physical. We had a night like I've never had before, the connection was intense and I thought we had staying power. Little did I know he was playing me for a fool. Apparently he just wanted in my pants, because after that night he left and I never heard from him again. Actually, scratch that. A year later I met Alexander Ramos, due to a case going sideways. I liked Alexander immediately, I felt a fatherly vibe from him. He dubbed me his goddaughter and told me whenever I was in trouble to contact him. I met his guards, Trouble and Phoenix, who were incorrigible flirts but helped me with my skip. Everything was fine until he introduced me to his son, and I locked eyes with the man that had fucked and then left me a year prior. I wanted so badly to slap the shit out of him, but instead I was civil so that Alexander wouldn't get suspicious._

_I had done well avoiding him, until now._

_End flashback _

"I hate Homer with the fire of a thousand burning suns. It wasn't the fact he had sex with me and then never called again, it was the fact I trusted him and he betrayed me. Now he thinks I'm after his fortune or something. I've never seen someone look so angry as he did today at me." I shuddered thinking back to his face when we spoke earlier. "Anyway it doesn't matter. Trouble knocked him out and they'll make sure he isn't around when I go back for the meeting."

I glanced at Ranger, whose face may have been blank but his eyes weren't. They were stormy, like he was plotting ways to kill Homer in his sleep. I wouldn't have minded except I didn't want him to get in trouble over someone as trivial as Homer Ramos. "As for Alexander, he will make good on his promise I'm sure of it. He's a sweet man" That earned some coughs from around the room. "who really had no idea I was involved in the takedown of Sizemore." No sooner than I said that did my phone ring with a number I didn't recognize so I answered, putting it on speaker. "Hello Alex. That was quick."

"Peanut, the meeting is set for two days from now here. Bring whoever you want as back up, and don't worry about Homer. I've sent him out of town for a few days, he won't be bothering you. And Peanut? Please make sure to include who I mentioned earlier. We can talk before the meeting."

I shot my eyes up to Manny who caught my glance, raising his eyebrow at me. I wish I could do that! "Of course Alex. I'll see you then." I disconnected and listened to the men make their plans, determining who would come with to the meeting and who would stay behind.

"If you don't mind guys I'd like to head off to my apartment for a bit." Ranger nodded and continued talking to his men, so I motioned for Manny to come with me. He followed me to the apartment on 4 and we sat down in the couch before speaking.

"What's up Wifey? You seem like there's something you're not telling the guys?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _How can I change this mans whole life? God I hope he doesn't hate me after this…_ "Manny where did you get that car you let me drive today?"

He gave me a funny look like I was crazy because I am before answering "My parents gave it to me when I turned 16. Why?" I swallowed hard and he grabbed my hand with his good one, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles slowly. "Whatever is on your mind Steph you can say it. Just tell me."

_How do you fell someone their father is a criminal kingpin?_ "You were adopted yes?" I heard him suck in air before he nodded. "Do you know who your biological father is?" Again he gave me a funny look but to his credit didn't say anything, just shook his head. I took a deep breath and blurted what I needed to say out. "When I was leaving Alexander earlier, he said to tell you your father said hello. That he gave your adoptive parents that car to give to you, and that he's your father." Manny dropped my hand and jumped up off the couch, pacing in front of me. I let him walk back and forth, muttering to himself for a few minutes before I attempted to speak again. "Manny, I'm so sorry." That caused him to stop in his tracks and stare at me.

"Sorry? What in the world do you have to be sorry about?" He sat back in the spot he had vacated previously. "How can you possibly think you did anything wrong here?"

I shook my head. "I should have caught on when I got your full name at the hospital, but I was too concerned about you and your injury to even question it at the time. You didn't know?"

Now he shook his head. "I mean, I knew I was adopted. My family is great, they are really sweet and kind people. Their last name is Ramos, but I never caught the connection to Alexander. I mean, lots of people have that last name, right?" I shrugged and nodded. "So he wants to meet me?" Again I nodded.

"He asked me to bring you to the meeting, so he could talk to you before hand. You okay with that?" I cupped his cheek and turned his face towards me. His eyes were a mess, full of confusion and fear. He smiled at me though, and brought my hand down to his mouth, kissing the inside of my wrist.

"Yeah, I think I am."

**Ranger's POV**

_Dios mio_ this woman was going to be the death of me. After she and Manny left (yes I caught that ) my team and I discussed how we would proceed from here in regards to Sizemore. I knew there was no way I was letting her go back to Ramos' alone, so I would be accompanying her as well as Tank. Bobby and Lester would also be there, in a van on the property. Cal, Hector, Vince and Junior would be parked down the block as back up in case anything went sideways. We had a solid plan, and then Hector mentioned our other situation.

_"¿Qué hay de Homero? Quiero matar al bastardo."_ (What about Homer? I want to kill the bastard.)

I shoved my hands through my hair in desperation. "I do too, but…"

"Bossman, she said he wasn't worth it. As much as I would love to knock him around a few times too, it may do more damage than help at this point." Tank said quietly, and I agreed.

"He's off limits. **For now.** If he makes her feel uneasy then we can go from there." After the meeting was complete I needed to get out my pent up anger so I made my way to the gym.

As I taped up my hands and started to hit the bag, I couldn't get the thoughts of how Homer Ramos treated Stephanie out of my head. The moment I saw her in that club I knew I needed to be a part of her life, protect her somehow. The cop she's related to, Eddie, was right, she is a force to be reckoned with, but that doesn't mean she doesn't or won't need help from time to time. Now how to get her to accept it?

**Stephanie's POV **

Manny and I sat for a good while holding hands while he processed everything I had told him about Alexander. He asked for details about his newly discovered father, which I gave him. Then when he wanted to know about Homer I shut down, I had dealt with that man and the memories of what he had done to me enough today. Manny understood, apologizing for his "brother". I waved him off, there was nothing for him to be sorry about. We were consenting adults, my ego and heart were just bruised by him was all. Eventually I would be able to hear his name without wanting to poke him with a hot dagger. Manny left not too long after that, so I discarded my clothing and hopped in the shower contemplating my life choices.

After I was done I found a fat fluffy robe to slip on, and made myself some tea. As it was steeping I heard a knock on the door, so I answered, and found Lester. "Hey Lester come on in. I was just making myself some tea, you want something?"

"Naw I'm good beautiful." He said as he slipped past me, bending down to kiss my wet curls before making his way to the couch and sitting down. "I thought we could talk a bit."

I shut the door and went back to my cup, bringing it with me as I sat down next to him. "Sure. Everything okay?" I blew on my tea before taking a sip, sighing a little. Sure I can't function in the mornings without coffee, but there's nothing like a little Earl Grey to calm my nerves.

He looked down at his hands, fidgeting . I sat my cup down and grabbed them in mine, squeezing. "Tell me Lester what's going on?"

"This so isn't the right time, but if I don't say this… I like you Stephanie. A lot. I'm attracted to you. I was going to wait until dinner to tell you this but after this whole situation today I wanted to make it known as soon as possible." _Awwww… He is so sweet… _ "I know my cousin likes you too, he told me that he had already let you know." He raised his head, but didn't look at me. "I just wanted you to know how I felt too. I'm not trying to put any pressure on you, at all. I just…" I cut him off by letting go of his hands and turning his face towards mine, leaning over and kissing him softly on the lips.

When we separated I smiled at him. "I'm just glad you still see me in a positive light after what you've found out about today. My past isn't something like to have known…" I pulled my hands into my lap, now it was my turn to lower my head and start fidgeting.

"Beautiful, the stories I could tell you about myself would make your head spin." He grabbed my hands again and pulled them back to his lap. "I don't care you have a past, hell every man here does. Ours are a million times worse than yours, believe me." He was making circles with his thumbs on the backs of my hands and it was making me relaxed and sleepy, which he caught. "You wanna take a nap?" I nodded and he pulled me off the couch, leading me to the bedroom.

"Stay?" I asked, and he nodded. I got under the covers as he took off his boots and slipped in on the other side. I felt one hand go around my waist as he pulled me close to his chest, the other playing with my curls. I could feel my eyes getting heavier as I heard him whispering into my ear_ "Princesa, eres lo mejor que me puede pasar. Dulces sueños, sé que los míos serán. Estaré soñando contigo."_ (Princess, you are the best thing to happen to me. Sweet dreams, I know mine will be. I'll be dreaming of you.) I had no idea what he was saying but the timbre of his voice lulled me into sleep quickly.


	20. A Night to Remember Chapter 20

**A/N: Awwwww…. So Steph definitely knows how Lester feels, she already knew how Ranger feels… All this AND she has a mobster after her?! What's a girl to do?!****Oh we are getting some new POVs in this chapter, I hope you like it!**

Chapter 20

**Homer's POV **

God that bitch! I can't believe her! Stephanie Michelle Plum will be the thorn in my side until I finally take steps to eliminate her. She was a great lay although I won't admit that to her, but since then she has attached herself to my father, and is getting too close to him. Dad even tried sending me away for a few days, just so I won't be around when she comes back. She won't get away with this!

_So dad had Mark Sizemore killed in prison, and now his father is after Stephanie. I swear she is way more trouble than she's worth. I can't believe I ever thought she could get into this business! And now she's in bed with Ranger Manoso, and his band of thugs. Even dad doesn't know that, or if he does he didn't say anything. Maybe I can kill three birds with one stone here, and serve Stephanie up to Sizemore, plus have Manoso and my father taken out in one move… _

I walked back to the study to let dad know I was "leaving" when I heard him on the phone with Stephanie. The meeting with Sizemore would be in two days here at the house. _That doesn't give me a lot of time. _ Dad's dumb ass bodyguards were in the study with him, I could hear them talking after the phone call was finished. I knew I needed to get in contact with Sizemore immediately, so I went back to my room, packed a bag and left the compound.

**Alexander's POV**

_My son… I will be meeting my youngest son in two days._ Homer was a disappointment, never thinking about the future, only what would benefit him in the present. I wanted our business to be run by my sons, ensuring that my legacy will live on when I'm gone. Hannibal, my oldest, doesn't want anything to do with the business I run, and that's okay. He's happy in his life, and I'm proud of him. Homer, he never was the brightest bulb in the box, but I could over look that if he had been loyal. He isn't. He thinks I'm blind to the fact he has been trying to over take the business for years, making small calculated moves against me. I'm not. The Stephanie situation is troubling. I don't know what he did to her, but it can't be good. My men don't just knock out people for no reason, so if Trouble felt the need to lay him out over Stephanie's honor, then I support him. If he hurt her in any way, being my son won't protect him.

Stephanie Plum has been a light in my cold, dark world. Her blue eyes shine and bring me joy whenever I am around her. Our relationship may have started out as a business deal, but over the last year or so I have grown to love that girl like she is my daughter. If only she wasn't on the opposite side of the law as me, she could be a very wealthy woman. But now she is bringing me my youngest boy, Manuel, so we can get to know each other.

Manuel's birth mother was a woman I shared an evening with many years ago, after my wife passed away. It was a moment of weakness on my part, but not one I have ever regretted. I kept tabs on the woman, and when I found out she was pregnant I made sure to take care of her. After she gave birth, I had my cousin and his wife "adopt" Manuel, so that he would always have the Ramos name, and I could keep an eye on him. I've done just that for almost 30 years, and now is the time I will finally be able to bring him into the fold. I know he has been working for Ricardo Manoso's security company. Ranger is a good man, and I'm sure my son has learned a lot from him. I hope he will be open to learning from me as well. Stephanie knows him, it appears they are close. Maybe she could end up being my daughter after all!

**Manny's POV**

_Holy fuck. My dad is Alexander Ramos…_ I knew growing up that something was strange, didn't feel quite right. My "parents" were always on edge, and now I know why. They had agreed to raise the son if a criminal kingpin! I wonder if they were related to him too, or if it was just a coincidence our last names are the same. I needed to talk to someone about this, but it can't be anyone here at Rangeman. I know Steph hasn't told any of them, and I don't want to jeopardize the meeting in a few days by laying this on any of them.

Stephanie Plum is the sweetest woman I think I've ever met. No wonder the guys are going crazy for her, she has a fire bombed apartment and a mobster after her, yet she finds time to get me together with my birth father. I can't imagine a lot of people that would do that. She is definitely something special.

**Stephanie's POV **

I woke up from an amazing sleep after hearing voices coming from my living room. Turning over I see Lester is no longer laying with me, so I figured one of the voices must be coming from him. I tightened the belt of my robe and pad off to the living room to see who my company was.

I walk in to find Bobby, Lester, Tank and Ranger talking in hushed tones. They stop immediately when I walk into the room. "Hey boys, what's going on?"

They glance at each other before anyone speaks. "The guys were going to tell you about who they decided should come with you to the meeting." Lester explained.

I nodded "Okay, but you know I'm perfectly safe with Alex and his men, right?" The men all grumble and I roll my eyes. _Testosterone I swear. _ "So who got the roses?" They all gave me a raised eyebrow look. "You know, The Bachelor/Bachelorette? Will you accept my rose? No? Nothing?" I'm met with blank faces. "Good gravy what do you guys do for fun? Don't you watch TV?"

"Military channel."

"Animal Planet."

"Medical dramas."

"Food Network."

Now it's my turn to be confused. "Wow. So no reality TV?" They all shake their heads and shrug. "Interesting. Never mind then, so who's coming with?"

"Tank and I will be with you, Bobby and Lester will be in the surveillance van inside the gate, and more men will be parked down the street. Can you provide us blueprints of the house Babe? I don't like going in blind."

"No, but Alex had his house featured in Architecture Digest a few years ago, the layout hasn't changed since then I don't believe. You should be able to find the pictures online, and I'll work on searching for some if those don't suffice." I walked to the kitchen to make myself another cup of tea. "You guys want anything?" They all shook their heads so I puttered around the kitchen making my cup. "Listen guys, can we go through the next few days like normal? I need to go to the bonds office, see if they have anything for me. Vinny is probably foaming at the mouth since I haven't checked in. I would really like to keep working on my skill sets too, if that's okay with you all?"

They stared at me until I started fidgeting. "What?"

"You don't want to take it easy? Lay low?" Bobby asked and I shook my head.

"Nope. Why should I? I'm sure Alex will get this whole thing straightened out, and I can't slink away every time some crazy guy wants me dead right ? I mean, that's kinda counterproductive wouldn't it? I need to work on my skills, not hide." Their faces were priceless, it's as if they thought this might break me. "Guys, I'm not a China doll. In fact you might call me a bit bad ass." I grinned at them and they all laughed.

"Little girl, of that there is no doubt!" Tank ambled over and kissed the tip of my nose.

"So I'll change and meet you guys downstairs in the gym? We can start there."

"You got it beautiful." Lester slid in beside me, whispering in my ear. "That nap was the best rest I've had in a long time. Thanks for asking me to stay." I smiled , nodding.

"No biggie. We are still on for dinner right?"

"Heck yeah! I can't wait to cook you my favorite dish. Your tastebuds will be dancing for hours." His eyes sparkled as he leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek, then walked out after the others, leaving me with Ranger. I grabbed the cup of tea, taking a deep breath of it in before sipping. "What's up boss? You look like you have something on your mind."

"You're… having dinner with Santos?"

I tried to do the whole raising an eyebrows trick but it failed miserably, causing Ranger to crack a smile. "I am… why?"

His blank face appeared again. "No reason. How about you come to my apartment tomorrow night, and we can have dinner?"

_Oh heck yeah dinner with two hot guys in two days?? Sign me up! _ "Sure Ranger, I'd like that." He started towards the door but stopped halfway, turning back and walking to me. "Is there something else?"

He put an arm on either side of me, effectively pinning me against the counter, leaning in close. "I don't like to share Babe."

_Holy hot flash Batman!_


	21. A Night to Remember Chapter 21

**A/N: So I just got done reading this HUGE fan fic (148 chapters!!) That was SO GOOD… but unfinished.:(****Forgive the delay, I've been out of commission for the last week with vertigo! Hoping it goes away and I can go back to work tomorrow!**

** UPDATE :went back to work Wednesday April 3rd!**

**Sorry this is kind of a slow chapter. I needed to move the story along but didn't want to just skip to dinner. I'm having writers block. Hope it's ok!**

Chapter 21

**Stephanie's POV**

It was hard to breathe, I felt like I could combust at any second. "Um, you don't like to share?"

Ranger's eyes were a dark obsidian color as he looked me over. "No, I don't."

I gulped and whispered. "You shared your car…"

I saw a small smile appear on his face before he leaned down, close to my ear. I felt his breath hot on my ear as he whispered "You Babe. I don't want to share you." _Aaaannnd I need a cold shower._

"Oh, well, it's just dinner."

"I saw him in your bed earlier, before you woke up. You're sure it's just dinner?" His face was blank, I couldn't get a read on him.

_Oh hell. _" Yes! Literally I asked him if he wanted to lay down with me and I fell asleep within seconds. Lester told me tonight how he felt but like I told you before Ranger, I don't know how I'm feeling right now. You all have been so supportive and kind… maybe we can talk after this thing with Alexander and Anthony is done?"

He pulled back and I felt that bolt of electricity hit my abdomen. "Sure Babe, I'd like that." He then leaned in again and kissed the fire out of me before disappearing out my door. _What the hell Batman!?_

I retreated to my bedroom, stripping off the robe and pulling on the workout clothes I found in my drawer _thank you Ella!_ I made my way down to the gym to find not only the four Core members, but also a few others going through their routines. _Holy Hotness I believe I'll be wearing out that shower massager tonight!_ I feel my face flush as everyone stopped and looked at me indicating that I yet again spoke that thought aloud, before grinning and continuing in with their activities. Mentally giving my forehead a slap I approach the four Core members. "So, what's up first?" Bobby got that gleam in his eye again and my stomach drops. "Awww hell Bobby, I just got my breathing back to normal from our last adventure together!" Everyone cracks a smile and I hear some chuckles around the room.

"Sorry sweetheart but if you're going to work here you've got to meet and maintain certain goals. I'm just helping you reach them!" I nod, rolling my eyes and make my way to the treadmill to start my run. After 30 minutes there I hop off and turn around to see the men slack jawed and srill in the same spots they were in previously. Bobby and I share a look but my ESP reader isn't working.

"Guys? You okay?"

"Shorts. Very tiny shorts." Lester manages to spit out and Bobby and I laugh.

"Ohhhh! Yeah Bobby has a nice ass doesn't he? If I had him in front of me running I would be speechless too." I couldn't contain my laughter as the guys try to cover up the fact they were staring at me, and Bobby wiggles his behind.

"Thanks sweetheart, at least someone appreciates it! " Bobby laughed and winked at me as we moved to the center ring area. Cal and Woody were in the sparing ring , and I watched in awe as they circled each other, one moving forward as the other evaded, bobbing and weaving around. "You've learned some takedown techniques but you will want to spar with someone, just to get the feel of it. You can use gloves or bare knuckles." I stare at him, my mouth hanging open.

"Are you joking?? You guys are huge! I'll die!" No laughter, but I do see some smiles.

"Babe. We are getting you ready for real life situations. If you're chasing a skip who is Cal's size, how would you approach?" Ranger asked calmly.

I sit and think for a moment. "I need to know the background." They all look at each other, even Cal and Woody stop what they're doing to stare at me.

"Babe?"

I sigh. "You guys have no clue how I catch my skips I take it?" I see shaking heads from everyone. "I am a strategist and planner, at least when it comes to bounty hunting. I attempt to apprehend WITHOUT things getting violent. Does that always work? No of course not. But I **do** have the highest capture rate of any agent in the state of New Jersey."

I see Ranger walk over to his phone sitting on the bench. He picks it up, says "Confirm" and hangs up. 30 seconds later it buzzes, and he responds with "10-4". He walks back over to the group and nods. "Impressive Babe." I can feel my face light up.

"What's your capture rate Beautiful?"

"98%." I hear the men all whistle. "I would be 100 but I have one that's giving me a bit of an issue at the moment, so maybe that can be one we work on together?" I check the faces of the guys standing around and they all have wide grins. "Anyway, so I run this program that I have access to that collects any and all information I can get on the individual. Things a typical Lexis Nexis search won't find. I dig through their files and find commonalities, and go from there." All the men are watching me intently so I continue. "For example, two of my typical skips I don't even have to try anymore. We were friends in high school, so I just come by when they aren't in the middle of a TV marathon of some sort, scoop them up and get them rebonded again before you can say Star Trek Deep Space Nine! Honestly a good 80 percent of my skips are people I know. If I don't personally know them, the 'Burg pipeline will get me what I need."

I wish I had a camera, their faces were priceless. "What is this search program you use Little Girl?" I can see the wheels turning in all their minds. I shake my head and wag my finger at Tank.

"Nope sorry Big Guy, that's my own personal invention. I will be happy to help you with searches for your skips though, if you have any that are bothering you."

"Wait, you wrote the program you use for searches??" Woody spoke up from the "ring" he was standing in. "Just when I thought you couldn't get hotter , you're a computer genius too?"

I felt my face flush. "I wouldn't call me a genius. I do okay…" I shrug, all of a sudden very uncomfortable with the attention I'm getting. "Anyway, so whose ass am I kicking??" I giggled as everyone raised their hands.

"Woody is a more even height match, take him down first." Ranger commented. I laugh and step in front of him, crooking my finger, motioning for him to come at me.

"Bring it on Tex!"

I went toe to toe with Woody for a good 40 minutes, I even successfully took him down three times! When we were done I moved on to Binkie and took him down twice as quick. I was feeling pretty good about myself until Cal stepped in front of me.

"Okay Angel, how you want me to play this? I can take it easy on you, or…" That's as far as he got before I was flipped upside down onto my back, where I found myself staring at a smiling Hal.

"Geeze Hal, you sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet!!" I grabbed his outstretched hand as he helped me back up.

"Sorry Mi- uh… Steph." I smile at him and reach up on my tip toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, causing him to turn fire hydrant red all over.

"Gotta be aware of my surroundings I suppose…" I pointed a finger at him and raised my eyebrows. "We are even now, right?"

I heard the room chuckle and he just smiled at me leaving me to assume I have a few more take downs to endure before we're even. I moved off the mats as Hal and Cal faced off against each other. Looking at them I was in awe, it was like redwood against redwood. I felt Ranger come up behind me, and his hand on my hip. "You did great Babe. Proud of you." _Oh lord… _those words caused my heart to go pitter patter and my doo dah to heat up to the point of combustion, I needed to move. So I started to walk away from him, going towards the locker room.

"Where you going Little Girl?"

"Hitting the showers Big Guy, I've got a dinner date later." I winked at Lester, ignoring the other men's comments and looks, and made it to the locker room without falling over or self combusting. Something about Ranger's voice when he said those words got to me, and I needed a cold shower to straighten me out.

I turned on the water and stood under the spray, letting my mind wander. I grew up the misfit, the under dog. My older sister Val was the prom queen, the good daughter, never gave mom and dad trouble. She met her wonderful husband and they got married and she popped out two wonderful kids, so she was perfect. Okay maybe not **exactly** perfect. Her husband cheated on her with the nanny (asshole) and the kids? While I adore my nieces they're kind of a handful, which is why I'm destined to be a hamster mommy only. Val had to move back with mom and dad… but at least mom doesn't iron incessantly because of her. Or get calls from the 'Burg grapevine due to her crazy dangerous job. Yeah, that's not due to Val, that's ALL me.

Mom and Dad love me, I know they do. Dad supports me and my decisions, he just doesn't really understand the whole Bounty Hunting thing. Mom on the other hand, thinks I'm crazy. She believes Joe and I should be settled down by now, and be giving her some more grand kids (HAH!) No matter how many times, or how I say it, it doesn't get through her head all we are is best friends. One of these days I'm going to put a ring on that finger just to mess with her. OH! Better yet I'll bring one of the Rangeman guys over! That should freak her out enough to leave me alone for awhile.

As I lean against the shower wall and think about my life, it dawns on me that the only person I could truly count on to support me is my Grandma Mazur. She's a pip (as she would say). Grandma moved in with my folks a few years ago after my Grandpa went to the big bingo hall in the sky. She consistently drives my dad nuts, and my mom to drink. At least that's what I tell myself so it doesn't all fall on my shoulders. She has a thing for going to the funeral parlor for every viewing, especially the open caskets. It's her favorite pastime, so much so that Constantine Stiva has actually offered to pay me to NOT bring her to any more viewings, but I need a little excitement in my life… well, maybe not anymore!

Apparently I got lost in thought for too long because I heard a loud pounding on the door before hearing a voice yell "I don't care if you aren't decent I'm coming in!" I yelped and quickly turned the shower off, grabbed a towel to wrap around me just as Lester walked around the corner. His eyes got all sparkly like emeralds as he grinned at me. "Sorry Beautiful but the guys were too chicken to come in while you were in here."

I rolled my eyes, securing my towel before stepping out of the shower. "Apparently you don't have that same problem huh?" He grinned slyly at me and I had to laugh. "Tell them I'm sorry, I'll get dressed and be out in 5." Lester gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and walked out one way, as Ranger appeared from the other direction. I knew he was there, I felt that distinctive tingle in my neck. When I looked up we locked eyes and he stalked towards me, until my back hit the wall surrounding the showers, like a cat stalking its prey. He leaned in close and I almost couldn't hear his voice over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. His fingers skimmed the top of my towel, across my collar bone before running it down my arm, leaving I'm sure a trail of fire behind it, because I felt burned.

"Babe."

I volleyed the idea of getting back into the shower and blasting the cold water around when I heard him make a chuckling noise in his throat. "If you get back in, I'm coming with you and you have dinner plans. Although I'm not opposed to the idea of delaying you if you aren't…" I gulped and ducked underneath his outstretched arm, grabbing my clothes and rushing to the far corner of the room.

"Go!" I held one hand up and pointed towards the door as the other was trying to hold up the towel. He smirked and walked away. After he was no longer in my vicinity I let out the breath I had been holding and plopped down on the bench I was standing next to. _Stephanie Michelle Plum, what the hell have you gotten yourself in to?!_


	22. A Night to Remember Chapter 22

**A/N: Eehhhh!!! So everyone seems to be in the agreement that Les needs to take a hike and Steph needs to choose Ranger …. Can't imagine why?? ;)****I have been agonizing over this chapter for a week. I really hope it turned out okay…**

Chapter 22

**Stephanie's POV **

Two days later I found myself in Manny's car, with him by my side making our way to Alexander's house. I was silent and Manny could tell something was up.

"Penny for your thoughts Wifey?"

Smiling at him I shrugged. "I'm just hoping this doesn't turn out to be a bust. I trust Alexander, but really what can he do against a grieving dad with a vengeance?" I glance over at him and do my attempt at an eyebrow raise which causes him to chuckle. "How are you doing? What's going through your head?"

It was his turn to shrug at me with his good shoulder. "I don't know, this is all a little crazy. I mean his reputation is scary… hey what did Ranger say when you said you were bringing me?" My mind went back to our previous night together , where we had used our mouths a lot, but not much for talking about that subject. I must have flushed because Manny started cracking up laughing at me. I gave him my best 'Burg glare but it did nothing to alleviate his laughter. "I take it you didn't really discuss it?" he managed to choke out through his laughter.

Shaking my head I kept my eyes on the road ahead of me. "I told him I wanted you to come, he didn't question my request. It's up to you to tell the guys why, I didn't feel it was my place." I felt him shift and turn towards me so his right hand pulled mine off the steering wheel. He squeezed it tight before letting it go again.

"Thanks Steph. You're pretty amazing. " I felt my cheeks flush again as I shook my head.

"Naw, but you can keep on saying it, I won't stop you!" I winked at him as he chuckled.

**Ranger's POV**

I watched the tail lights of the car in front of me as we wove through the woody roads, making our way to Ramos' compound in the Pine Barrens, and thought back to the previous night that Stephanie and I spent together.

_Flashback_

_I waited impatiently for the knock on my door to come, announcing Stephanie's arrival. When it finally did, I opened the door to find her standing there, in a beautiful blue dress that matched her eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. Dios mio (my God) she was gorgeous! I smiled brightly at her and stepped aside so she could come in. She gave me a small nervous smile back, but the moment she stepped inside all the nervousness left her and she stuck her nose up in the air._

_"Oh my gosh what is that amazing smell??" She took her shoes off in the entryway and wandered to the kitchen. Chuckling I followed her._

_"Ella made my favorite, hopefully you enjoy it. Arroz con Pollo, fried plantains, and Bizcocho de Ron for dessert." I grinned at her wide eyes and heard her stomach make its presence known. "Guess we should feed that beast!"_

_We sat down and started to eat, and holy hell did she enjoy everything. The sounds she made caused me to want to forget taking it slow and take her right there on the table. When we got to dessert Stephanie looked at me questioning what it was. "Rum cake." I explained and she grinned._

_"Sounds delicious!" And it was. I usually refrain from eating sweets, but on special occasions I do partake. Tonight was a very special occasion. After dinner we cleaned up and moved to the living room, glasses of wine in our hands. "So tell me Ran- sorry Ric, how did you start this company?"_

_Smiling I sat back and told her my story. "I was a trouble maker when I was younger, involved in a gang back home in Newark. When I was arrested my father gave me the option of going to jail, or heading to the military. So after I was released from juvie I joined the Army, where I met Tank and Bobby. Lester joined a few years after me, and was assigned to my unit as well. After we were discharged I wanted to make sure I stayed on the straight and narrow, and security had always been something I was interested in, so I built Rangeman, and asked the three men that had been through hell with me to join my adventure. We have 3 offices right now, and are looking to expand in the future." I stole a glance at Stephanie and she looked enthralled. "I'm glad you agreed to work here, I think this will be a great place for you."_

_She nodded enthusiastically. "Me too! So you've known most of the men in your company for a long time?" I nodded. "But not everyone comes from a military background? Because l would feel really out of place…"_

_I shook my head, sitting my wine glass down on the table and reaching over to hold her hand. "90 percent of my employees have a military background. The other 10 percent are civilians, just like you, that have unique skill sets that make them perfect for this job." She scooted closer to me and smiled._

_"I figure Hector is part of that 10 percent?" I laughed and nodded._

_"Hector and I were in the same gang growing up, I have known him since I was a teenager. He is the one man that every single person in this company is afraid of, that includes me. But you… you weren't."_

_Stephanie shook her head. "No, I mean I was a bit, the tattoos are scary since I know what they mean, but his eyes weren't hard like others I've met." That surprised me._

_"Others? You've met other gang members?"_

_She shrugged like it was no big deal. "I meet a lot of individuals bounty hunting. I've been on Stark Street more than I care to admit, they recognize my car as I'm turning the corner." She smiled shyly. "A friend of mine, Lula, worked on Stark. She helps me sometimes with my bounty hunting now, although I think she just likes to ride along for the food stops, and the entertainment aspect."_

_I pulled her closer to me "Tell me more about Stephanie Plum." And she did. I heard about her dream was to fly, and her attempt to do just that when she was younger where she broke her arm. I heard about her first marriage and how it ended (again, he was a classless jerk). I heard all about her crazy grandmother, who is the only one that has ever truly supported her wish to do this job, and her parents. Her father was in the military too, now he drives a cab. Her mother, a retired school teacher , has never given up the dream that she and her friend Morelli would get married and have babies. I know I bristled when she mentioned him, but from her explanation they really were just best friends, no romantic entanglements there. I asked her about Lester, and how their dinner the night before went. She got a big smile on her face, which I admit irked me a little, and said it went great. I didn't press for details, but I had watched the monitors and knew she hadn't stayed extremely long at his place, which eased my mind a bit._

_I looked down at her, her big blue eyes were sparkling, and I couldn't help myself. I leaned down, brushing my lips against hers. I meant it to only last a second, but as soon as we touched I felt the pull, the electricity and I needed more. She did too, I heard her moan as I leaned in again, running my tongue across the seam of her lips, and she opened them to let me in. I pulled her onto my lap, she straddled me as I ran my fingers up and down her back she shivered. "You feel it?" I whispered against her neck as I kissed the spot below her ear and she shivered again._

_"Yes…" she said low and breathy, making me want her even more. Before things could go too far she pulled back, placing her hands on my chest to separate us. "I meant to ask, would it be okay if Manny rides with me tomorrow?" I felt my blood pressure rise a bit as I moved her back onto the couch next to me._

_"Of course. That's fine with me." I know I sounded rude with my abruptness, but I thought we were getting somewhere and then she brought up Manny, again. How many of my men are after her?? We ended the night quickly after that, but I knew there would be many more to come._

_End flashback_

Someone outside the situation would probably say I was rude, but Stephanie didn't seem to notice. We had a nice time before she mentioned Manny. I need to get my jealousy in check, I want to make this work with her and I trust her… maybe not my men so much. Lester has seemed in a strange mood all day, not sure what they decided between the two of them the night before our dinner, but I know there's something special between Stephanie and myself. I just need a plan on how to show her.

**Stephanie's POV**

The last two nights were interesting to say the least. Ranger was open, telling me about how he started his company. That was until I asked about Manny coming with me today, then he became a bit standoffish. What is it with men? Lester, on the other hand, was a ball full of fun! He cooked me dinner, we told each other our deepest secrets, and played video games until my eyes got too heavy to keep them open anymore. He kissed me, and it caused butterflies in my stomach, but nothing like when Ranger kisses me. If only he would get over that ego! It would serve him right if I told him I chose Lester, even though he and I both determined that we were going to be best friends and nothing more.

"Steph?"

I glanced over and saw Manny grinning at me. "Yeah sorry, was completely spaced out there. Were you saying something to me?"

Manny laughed "Yeah I got that… your nose was all scrunched up like a rabbit! It was adorable but it seemed like you were thinking about something heavy. Wanna talk about it?"

I did, but at the moment I was about to explain what was on my mind I heard tires screeching and everything went black.

**A/N2: awwww hell! Now what?!**


	23. A Night to Remember Chapter 23

**A/N: Hey everyone ! Remember me your friendly fan fic writer who was great about updating her story every few days but hasn't written in a week?! Yeah sorry. Life is a mess, and writers block is my curse at the moment. I hope this chapter flows okay, please let me know if it's weird and I need to fix the order the POVS or something. Lots of love to you all!!!**

Chapter 23

**Ranger's POV**

My life used to not lend itself to relationships, and I've been living with that mindset for a long time. Now that I'm free from my government contract, I need to find a way to coexist with people again… Stephanie will help me find my way in the darkness, I'm sure of it. I want to share things with her that I haven't shared with anyone before, which excites and scares the shit out of me all at the same time. I don't dare talk about it with my men, I'll never hear the end of it.

I was completely lost in thought that I didn't see the vehicles coming at us until it was too late. Tank slammed on the brakes and we skidded to a halt just in time to see the occupants of the car in front of us jump out with semi automatic weapons and start spraying. Tank and I dove down, swearing as the bullets whizzed by our heads , ripping through our SUV like a hot knife through butter. I heard the voices of my men in my earpiece yelling and their return gunfire, but didn't raise up to look for fear of getting shot. The whole thing lasted no more than 3 minutes before they got in their vehicle and took off. When it was safe I jumped out of the car intending on telling my men to follow the vehicle that had just peeled away when I saw Manny's car ahead with the driver side caved in. _SHIT! Stephanie! _

**Stephanie's POV**

_FUCK! I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck, what the hell happened to us?_? I couldn't open my eyes but felt around to see if I could find Manny. All I felt was open space, until someone lifted me up and walked me away from where I had been trapped. _Open your eyes Stephanie, why won't you open your eyes??_ I felt battered and bruised, but nothing appeared to be broken, at least as far as I felt. I could hear voices, but none of them sounded like Manny, Ranger or any of the Rangeman crew. It felt like I had landed in a battle zone, there were voices yelling and gunfire echoing around me.

"Get her out of here before Manoso sees us!!"

"What do we do with the guy that was with her?" _Manny! Oh God I hope he's okay…_

"Leave him, boss didn't say anything about him." _Boss?_ I was jostled and groaned in pain. As I did I felt the arms that were holding me tense up. "Shit she's waking up. Let's get out of here!" I heard what sounded like a sliding door open, and felt myself being dropped (not even close to gently) down onto a cold surface before the door closed again. More slamming of doors followed before I heard the sound and felt the movement of the vehicle I had been placed in start moving. _Open your EYES STEPHANIE! _ I forced my eyes open only to see the inside of what appeared to be a passenger van. When I attempted to sit up those pesky black dots started swimming around, so I returned to my previous position as quietly as possible. Taking a deep breath in I tried to center myself so I could listen to the sounds outside, and try to decipher where we were headed.

**Manny's POV**

_Shit I feel like I've been hit by a freight train, what the hell happened??_ Moving around I realized 1. My arm was still in its sling amazingly enough, and 2. I had a whopper of a headache. Thankfully nothing else felt broken, but I was definitely bruised. I reached over to feel for Stephanie but didn't feel anything but the seat she had been occupying and broken glass. Opening my eyes I saw she was in fact missing from the drivers seat. _Fuck what happened to us?? _ I could hear voices yelling my name so I attempted to call out to them, but all that came out was a garbled whisper. Coughing I tried again and was happy I could speak a little louder this time, but not near loud enough. I decided to just wait until someone got closer to me before trying to speak again. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long.

"MANNY!" Ranger was yelling at me, so I looked over at the direction the voice was coming from and saw him standing beside my window… or where the window would have been had it not been busted out. "Don't move, you could have injured your neck or back. Bobby will be right here to check you. Where's Stephanie?"

I tried to shake my head but stopped immediately at the jolt of pain that shot through my already injured collarbone. "I'm sorry Ranger I passed out, I don't know where she is." I could hear him swearing and yelling at Tank as he walked back to where I was guessing their vehicle was. A moment later Bobby appeared next to me.

"Hey man, stay real still. I just want to check a few things. You feel anything broken?"

"No I don't think so. Bobby what the hell happened?"

Brown went into medic mode, flashing his pen light around my eyes, making sure my pupils were reactive I guess. "We were ambushed. A car pulled in between you guys and the rest of the caravan, and before any of us knew what was happening they were firing on us. I guess that was a distraction so that another car could ram you guys." He looked over at the drivers seat "Shit, they took Steph." I could hear sirens in the distance, but I was rapidly loosing my will to stay awake. "Manny stay with me, the ambulance is on it's way." Those were the last words I heard before everything went black.

**Alexander's POV**

As I sat waiting for my guests to arrive I reflected on my life so far, the successes and failures I've had. Checking the time I realized that Sizemore was late, which wouldn't have surprised me, but Stephanie, my son and her friends were also absent. "Trouble! Phoenix!"

"Yeah Boss?" Trouble spoke for them both.

"Our guests haven't shown up yet. Would you please see if you can get ahold of someone at Rangeman, the office where she is operating out of ? See what's keeping them?" The moment the words were out of my mouth I heard my cell phone ring, and Trouble answered. His eyes went dark and I could tell he was getting upset so I motioned for him to being me the phone. "This is Alexander Ramos, can I help you?" The caller ID said Stephanie's name, but the voice on the other end certainly wasn't her voice.

"Mr. Ramos, this is Ranger Manoso. We're down the road from your house and need your help. We were ambushed on our way to the meeting and Stephanie's been taken." His voice was understandably shaky but he held it together as he explained to me what happened. The notoriously unflappable Ranger Manoso was very clearly flustered, and the pain in his voice as he spoke about Stephanie was not hard to miss. I had already stood before he could finish. Hanging up with him I immediately explained the situation to my men, then called Sizemore to find out why he had missed the meeting. Sure enough there was no answer.

"Phoenix, track down Sizemore, and report back to me what you find. Trouble, assist the men from Rangeman, they're down the road. Bring them here so they can regroup." My men are good men, they always obey orders without hesitation, but this time they held back.

"If we leave there's no one here to protect you Boss." I dismissed them with a wave, they forget I had been defending myself for years, long before they came to work for me. Giving them both a look they immediately turned and left to do their requested tasks. In my heart I knew Sizemore was behind this, and I vowed to make sure he joined his son before the day was done.

**Stephanie's POV**

_I was in Miami, with the warm sun beating down and waves crashing in the background… I was lying on my stomach, trying to darken my typical alabaster skin when a shadow blocked the rays.__"Excuse me, you're blocking my sun" I said, squinting at the figure who rudely interrupted my alone time.__"Babe… you'll burn." He scooped me up, running us towards the waves.__"Ranger! Put me down!!"__"As you wish Babe." He dropped me into the cold ocean and I came up sputtering…_

I woke up with a start as I felt a rush of water hit my face. "What the fuck?!" I shook my head and glared up at the face of the man that ruined the perfect day I had conjured in my head with Ranger. "Are you fucking kidding me??" I exclaimed the moment I recognized the face.

"Hello little girl."


	24. A Night to Remember Chapter 24

**A/N: I hope everyone had a great holiday!!****I haven't done the disclaimer, hopefully you all know I only own the characters I make, and not the recognizable ones. Those were created by the awesome JE! **Chapter 24

**Stephanie's POV**

My mind started racing the moment that cold water hit my face, and if looks could kill the man that drenched me would be dying a slow agonizing death. Maybe I would get Joe's Grandma Bella to bring him back so I could kill him more than once. She was scary creepy. When we were younger I swore she had some sort of magical powers, she was constantly giving people "the eye". Thank God she liked me, but that's probably because Joe and I were never more than friends. His poor girlfriend freaked out at their first meeting. "What the fuck are you thinking??" I pushed wet curls out of my face, ignoring the fact that the men in the room were all staring at the sopping wet t-shirt that was now clinging to me. "Really?? Even **you** aren't this stupid." I glared at him to the point the other men around him took a step back, probably afraid of what I was going to do.

"Stephanie, you really should have just left dad alone. If you had just stayed away this would have never happened. Dad would be handing the reigns of the business over to me and you could have gone about your life. But no. You **HAD** to make dad fall in love with you, forgetting all about me, his actual kin. Even though I'm the one that has been there all these years, who will carry on his name. He loves you more!" Homer's eyes got a crazy look in them, and for the first time since we met I was actually afraid of him. He must have sensed it , because he grabbed me by the arm and hauled me to my feet, leering at me. "I don't understand why all these men fall all over you, but here you have dozens just trailing after you like puppy dogs." I tried to bite back a smart ass remark, but my mouth moved faster than my brain.

"You didn't seem to have any issues understanding my appeal when we were sleeping together." His eyes turned dark and his jaw clenched.

"Dad is almost as bad as the rest of them. He really should have been paying better attention to me. I've been siphoning funds from his businesses for years. Now that I've got you, I can kill two birds with one stone, if you don't mind the expression." He drug me out of the room we had been in, down a long hallway and into an office. He tossed me onto the room , making me trip and I landed on my hands and knees. "I told you I would bring her to you. Here she is." I looked up to see Mr. Sizemore sitting behind the desk in front of us.

"That you did Homer. Ms. Plum, so nice to see you again." He stood up and moved around to the front of the desk, leaning against it as he looked down at me. "We should probably get you into some dry clothes, we wouldn't want you to catch anything before our plan is executed would we?" He snapped his fingers and two large men about the size of Tank came forward, grabbing me under the arms and setting me up onto my feet. I shivered from the cold , wet clothing that was sticking to me, but also from fear. The bravado I had facing Homer had decided to make itself scarce, and I could hear my heart beating in my ears.

"Mr. Sizemore, I didn't get your son killed…" I stopped when he waved his hand at me.

"Oh Ms. Plum, I know it wasn't your fault. I know all about Alexander's role in this, but Homer here tells me you hold a special place in Alexander's heart. Alexander took my child away from me, now I'm returning the favor." Before I could blink he had whipped a gun out from behind his back and fired.

**Ranger's POV**

_This is a complete cluster fuck._ We lost Stephanie and have no way to track her down, and now I have to deal with an angry Alexander Ramos as well as a reinjured Manny. I know I should be following Bobby and Manny to the hospital, but the only thing I can think about is Stephanie . Who took her, is she hurt… this woman had burrowed her way into my heart and mind in record time. Even Rachel didn't bring out this level of emotions, and I was married to her! I saw a blacked out SUV heading towards us, and I assumed it was Ramos. When a tall blonde man got out and headed towards me my interest was peeked. "Ranger Manoso." I said, sticking my hand out towards the man.

"Ken Maines, but everyone calls me Trouble." He responded, and gripped my hand tightly, shaking it once before letting go. _Ah this is one of Steph's many admirers. Between my men and everyone from her past I may have to whisk her away to a safe house to be alone with her! _"So tell me exactly what happened to SP?"

I explained what had occurred, and waited for a response. He had a pinched look on his face as he walked towards the vehicle that Manny was being extracted from, so I followed him with Tank not to far behind me. He walked up to Bobby and the EMTs that had pulled up and said something, then turned to Manny. I was close enough at that point to hear the greeting, and I felt my jaw drop for a second before I regained my composure and threw on my stone face.

"Your dad was worried about you. He wants you brought to the house, and checked by his personal physician." Manny just nodded , and two more men came out of the same SUV that Trouble had exited previously. They lifted Manny up and moved him gently to the car, then drove back towards the house. My men were as shocked as I was, and Trouble laughed when he saw our faces, apparently we need to work on our blank stares.

"Your man had no idea he was Alexander's son, not until SP came here the other day, driving this car." He pointed to the crumpled wreck sitting in front of us. "I'll let Alex explain the situation. For now give me details on the vehicle that hit them, and the one that cut you off."

My men recounted what descriptions of the vehicles they could, since Tank and I had taken cover we didn't get a good look at them. I could see the eyes of the man in front of me turn dark after listening to my men, and he immediately grabbed his phone to place a call to someone. The conversation was brief, and when he hung up he turned back towards me. "Gather your men and follow me, Alex is offering you his home to regroup. We can work up a plan of attack there." We got in the vehicles that were still able to run and followed a SUV through the gate, coming to a halt outside the sprawling estate. An older man was standing on the front steps and came to greet us as we got out of our vehicles.

"Mr. Manoso, Alexander Ramos." The man looked me over once then smiled widely at me. "It's nice to finally meet you, although I wish it was under better circumstances. Come in, you and your men need to sit." I was about to decline when the look in his eye made me rethink that choice, so I nodded and waved my men inside.

"Mr. Ramos, do you know who ambushed us? Was it Sizemore?" He held a bottle up at me, a silent invitation for a drink. I nodded and he poured some in two glasses, bringing one to me before sitting down in a chair. He motioned for me to sit, so I did. "Mr. Ramos, you need to know-"

"It was my son, Homer." He interjected. "The descriptions of the vehicles and men you saw are of his friends. I am sure he did this to hurt me, I just never realized how far down the rabbit hole he really was." Ramos shook his head and took a sip of his drink, so I followed suit. _Scotch, single malt. Very smooth._ _I'm a beer drinker typically but this is just what I need right now. _ "He hates my relationship with peanut, jealous of our closeness. I've contacted my other man, Phoenix. He should be back soon. He is out tracking down Sizemore, and as soon as he locates him he will return, then we can go over how to track her down."

Homer Ramos. I was going to have to kill the bastard before this was done, I'm sure of it.

**Manny's POV **

The two men that had helped me into the vehicle brought me into the house, and laid me on a couch in what looked to be Alexander's study. Bobby sat next to me in a chair, and a woman entered shortly after. She was tall, blonde and had eyes that matched Stephanie's in color. "Mr. Ramos? I'm Doctor Katherin Bend, it's nice to meet you." _This was Alexander's doctor?? _The woman looked to be in her late 30's, and had bright pink cheeks and a smile that men would kill to have directed at them. She was pretty, I could tell Bobby thought so immediately because he jumped up as she introduced herself to me, slyly looking her up and down before sliding over and introducing himself.

"Robert Brown, medic for Rangeman, nice to meet you Doctor Bend." She grinned at him and nodded.

"Call me Kat or Katie, everyone does." She responded to him then turned towards me. "So tell me Mr. Ramos, what's hurting?" she glanced at my arm in the sling and gestured towards it. "That happen from the accident?"

I shook my head "Unrelated incident. I was shot and broke my collarbone the other day. I don't think I injured anything too badly in the crash…"

"He lost consciousness twice " Bobby piped up and I glared at him, silently cursing.

The doctor peered into my eyes, flashed the same type of light Bobby had earlier. "I don't see any obvious concussion red flags, but I would like to take you for a CT scan to rule it out completely." I groaned a little too loudly because she chuckled. "Sorry, I would feel better if I could positively rule the possibility out. It won't take long and you don't have to leave the house. My suite is that way-" She pointed down a hallway "-and I have the machine there. I know Alex is looking forward to sitting down with you as soon as possible so let's get this over with shall we?" She winked at me and nodded to the large men that had brought me into the house, and they left us alone. "Could you assist him to the suite?" She turned towards Bobby and he just stared at her. I had to laugh, in all the years I've known Bobby I've never seen him speechless like he was now.

"I can walk myself, thanks Doc. Let's get this over with."

**A/N: Yes, Katherine is my creation, she is my main character in many stories :) Hope you enjoy her! **


	25. A Night to Remember Chapter 25

**A/N: I've had such writers block and today it was just destroyed no idea why!! But hope you liked the new chapter, and the new character. ;) And THANK YOU for all the reviews!!! **

Chapter 25

**Stephanie's POV **

I would have jumped a foot from the sound of the gunshot if I wasn't being restrained by the Ape twins on either side of me. My breath caught in my throat as I looked down fully expecting to see blood gushing from the gunshot wound I just received, instead I heard the body next to me drop to the ground with a thud. I stared at the gunshot wound between his eyes for a second as my stomach rolled so violently I thought I was going to lose my lunch (if I had eaten).

"You killed Homer??" I squeaked out, eyes darting between Homer's dead body and Sizemore. _Shit this is bad… really really bad…_

"He was a nuisance. He didn't like you very much Ms. Plum, you should be glad I got rid of him." He motioned to the guards who let go of me and picked up Homer's body, dragging it out of the room. He was right, I should be glad at this turn of events. There was no love lost between Homer and me, that was painfully obvious, but that gun going off was a little too close for comfort.

"I- How- What-" I didn't know what to do or say. Sizemore came towards me and gently led me to a chair. I sat down and immediately put my head between my legs blinking away the black dots in front of my eyes. After a minute of regulating my breathing I sat back up and stared at Sizemore. "What now?" I asked, afraid of his response.

"It's easy really. Homer had planned on me killing you to hurt his father. But you seem to be more valuable alive than dead Ms. Plum. I don't for a second believe me killing Homer will hurt Ramos in any way. Kidnapping you on the other hand, keeping you away from Alexander, that will hurt him. He has some sort of fascination with you it seems." His eyes ran over me and I shuddered. "I think you can give me inside information into the Ramos organization. When you outlive your usefulness…" He left the rest of the sentence unspoken.

"Mr. Sizemore I don't know anything about his organization. I'm a bounty hunter, Alex's men helped me out with a situation a year or so ago, that was it. I don't know anything about his business dealings. That would have been Homer…" I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat catching.

Sizemore gave me a look like he was trying to determine whether I was telling the truth or not. I must have passed whatever test he had running through his head because he nodded and picked up his phone. The conversation was brief, and a few seconds after he hung up there was one knock at the door. "Enter" Sizemore barked and the door opened. I could hear someone come up behind me, and I closed my eyes waiting for another gunshot to happen. "Take Ms. Plum up to the spare quarters, she needs to change and she is probably hungry. Am I correct Ms. Plum?"

"You can call me Stephanie Mr. Sizemore." I answered quickly, it was an automatic response, my 'Burg manners not failing me even in this situation. "And yes, I am." He nodded at whoever was standing behind me, and I felt a hand touch my shoulder. When I stood and turned around I saw the presence behind me was one of the Ape twins from before. He clamped a massive hand down on my shoulder, and guided me out of the office. We went down a hallway, up some stairs and stopped in front of a set of double doors. He moved me aside and opened them, then led me in.

"Clothes are in the closet, I'll be back in 15 minutes." He grunted before letting go of me , turning around and walking back out the way we came in. I heard the locks tumble and sure enough when I tried to open the door I couldn't, he had locked me in. _Fuck. Fuckety fuck fuck! _

**Alexander's POV**

Phoenix came back and let me know he saw my son take Stephanie into Sizemore's residence. He said at the time he saw her she was unharmed except for some bruising he could see as a result of the car crash. I watched Manoso's face as my man explained what he saw, he was trying to keep a blank face on but he failed. This man is in love with Stephanie. It isn't difficult to find oneself in that position. If she was 20 years older I would whisk her away to Greece and make her my wife. But as it stands I wouldn't trade our relationship for anything.

"Alex?" a hand on my arm shook me from my deep thoughts. I looked around the room and saw all of Manoso's men eyeing Katherin appreciatively, including the medic that had been with Manuel. Standing I led her over to Manoso.

"Ranger, this is my personal physician Katherin Bend. Katie this is Ranger Manoso, owner of Rangeman security. My son and Stephanie work for him." They quickly shake hands and she smiles at his men.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Manoso, although I wish it were under better circumstances. I adore Stephanie, so anything I can do to help please let me know."

"Of course, thank you, and please call me Ranger." Katie smiled again and nodded.

"How's my son Katie?" I felt my heart constrict when I made mention of Manuel.

"He's doing well Alex. No concussion that I can see, I did a CT to confirm. Right now he's resting in my suite upstairs. He should be down in a bit." She grabbed my hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "So tell me, what do you know so far? Who has Stephanie?"

**Ranger's POV **

If I hadn't been head over heels for Steph, Alexander's doctor would be my type. Leggy, blonde, deep blue eyes and a bright smile, she was younger than Ramos, I figured around Stephanie's age. I saw Bobby walk in behind her when she came to talk to Ramos and I could tell by his expression he was impressed by her.

"Homer grabbed Peanut. I'm guessing he and Sizemore are working together." Ramos explained. I saw the doctor's brow furrow Homer's name, which made me believe there was bad blood between the two.

"Mr. Ramos, I know Homer is your son but…" I stopped when Ramos raised his hand at me.

"Say no more Ranger, I completely understand. Homer won't get away with this."

"What can I do?" I appreciated the doctors tenacity and drive to help us in our quest to find Stephanie but wasn't sure what other skill sets she had that would be helpful. She must have read my face because she smiled warmly at me before continuing. "Even if it's just another body to assist with the rescue, please know I'll be happy to do whatever I can to help. She's at Anthony's?" The bodyguard, Phoenix nodded.

"I saw Homer and his goons bring her there, but I didn't see where in the building they are, or how many men he has."

Doctor Bend's pretty blue eyes swept over the group of my men that were standing waiting for instructions. "Any of these men know how to hack a surveillance camera?"

_She's savvy. I could use someone like her on staff. _"Yes, Hector." I waved him over and introduced them. She smiled warmly at us.

"You need an inside person-" She didn't get to finish her thought before Ramos was shaking his head adamantly.

"No Katherin. I don't trust Sizemore, and I certainly don't trust Homer. You are not to leave the premises do you understand me?" He said abruptly as he walked out of the room with Phoenix and she turned towards me.

"I want to do this. Hector hack the cameras at Anthony's residence. I've been in his house before, I know how to maneuver through it. I can find Stephanie and get her out."

"Ramos said-"

"Alexander is my employer and friend, he is not my father or keeper. I'm doing this, with or without your help." She turned to Trouble, Ramos' other bodyguard. "Grab my bag from the medical suite please." When he hesitated she gave him a glare that sent him running. She walked over to the rest of the small group of men I had brought with me and started introducing herself. I had to admit, the woman had guts to go against Ramos' orders, but I didn't feel it was my place to question it. Hector set up his equipment and worked his magic, he was able to hack into the security system and cameras fairly quickly. I handed Katherin an earpiece and microphone so she could listen and talk to Hector, that way she wasn't going in completely blind. Trouble came back at that point and handed her the black medical bag she had requested.

"Kat… you know Alex is gonna be livid with you." They seemed to be having a conversation through ESP because she didn't respond to him except to stare, and he quickly backed down. As they were having their silent confrontation I moved the rest of my men over to get their feedback.

"I like her." Brown immediately spoke up. "She's smart, and kind. She would be good to have around the office…"

"So you can stare at her ass all day? Admit it Bobby, you've got a super crush on the doc!" Lester laughed as Bobby's cheeks flushed with a pink tint.

"She's pretty, I'm not denying that, but she reminds me of Steph. No nonsense, take no crap from anyone mentality. I think she would be good to have around. You disagree?" He smirked at Lester who just laughed and shook his head at him.

"I don't see her leaving Ramos, it seems she's got a history here. Let's just concentrate on the situation at hand, and get Steph back to Rangeman in one piece." I stated. I heard Katherin sigh loudly and we all turned to see Manny walking in with Alexander at his side and Phoenix behind them.

"I see you're going to be a difficult patient." She wagged a finger at him, and my men had to stifle their laughter. "At least sit down , I don't want you wandering around until I know if you are fully cleared of a concussion." Manny just smiled at her but obeyed. "What is it with grown men acting like they are King Kong?? You were shot AND involved in a car accident in the last few days. You need rest." She glared at Ramos who had the good sense to lower his eyes, avoiding her stare. After that we got to work, making a plan of who would be back up for the doctor, and who would stay here. Hector took up the table in the dining room with his equipment, and showed Katherin where the guards were. Alexander heard them, and the look on his face indicated he wanted to reiterate his displeasure with her, but again he had the good sense not to. Instead he sat next to Manny and they started talking quietly to one another.


	26. A Night to Remember Chapter 26

**A/N: So…. what do we think? Kat had better have a good plan to get Steph out right?? Side note nothing makes me crankier than reading my story after I published it and seeing errors. GAH!!! **

Chapter 26

**Katherin's POV**

MEN! I have been Alexander's physician for the last few years, and he treats me like a little girl , not a grown woman. I'm in my thirties for crying out loud! I love the man, he rescued me I was in a bad spot, offering me a job and a home when I needed it most. Since then though, he's acted like I'm made out of porcelain and I will break at any moment. He's set in his ways unfortunately, so I don't think I'll be able to convince him otherwise.

The men that came from Rangeman are gorgeous, even though them being here is due to Stephanie being in trouble I'm still enjoying the scenery. She's lucky to be around them all the time. Not that I don't have my own versions of eye candy in Trouble and Phoenix, but they are too much like annoying older brothers for me to enjoy the view.

I heard a phone buzz, and we all watched as Trouble brought it to Alexander. It must be Anthony, Alex is usually calm and level headed but whoever he's talking to is getting under his skin, his face is red. "Alex, you need to breathe." I commented as I sat down next to him, placing my fingers on his wrist in a covert attempt to check his pulse . He hung the phone up , pulling his wrist out from my grasp and stalked across the floor towards the men from Rangeman. I couldn't stop the tears from springing to my eyes at his coldness towards me, I tried to remind myself he was under stress. I felt the cushion next to me dip as someone sat down beside me. As I turned my head I saw their medic close to me, his hand near mine. I made the motion to move and he grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight before letting go. It was very sweet, and unexpected.

Alexander's face was twisted, the conversation didn't go well. "That was Sizemore. He wants a trade. Stephanie for my business." That wasn't a shock, Anthony and Alexander have been at odds for years. But I was shocked at the next words out of his mouth, although I tried not to show it. "Katherin. Go, get Stephanie and bring her home. Take Phoenix and Trouble. Bring Sizemore back here, alive."

**Ranger's POV **

I was surprised with Ramos' announcement, but the doctor seemed ready. She was sitting on the couch, Bobby close to her. My phone buzzed and I groaned quietly when I saw the caller ID. "Yo."

"Manoso where is Steph? I've been trying her for hours and haven't gotten a call back. I've left her a dozen messages, I'm getting worried."

_Shit_. "I'm at Alexander Ramos' compound in the Pine Barrens. We were ambushed this morning and Steph was taken by Homer." I could hear him cursing and knocking things around on the other end of the call. "We have a plan, Ramos' doctor is going in to get Stephanie. I'll keep you apprised about the situation as it unfolds Detective."

"I'm on my way. Tell them to let me through the gates." He said curtly and hung up. _Double shit._ The last thing we need is a hot headed Detective taking this operation over. I suppose he does have the right to be here though, she is his best friend.

"Morelli?" Tank asked and I nodded.

"He's on his way." I turned towards the woman on the couch "Doctor, are you ready for this?"

She nodded, grabbing her black medical bag and standing in front of me. "Let's go get Steph." Fairly confident for a woman who hadn't explained exactly how she was going to accomplish this feat, but I admired her tenacity.

**Stephanie's POV**

_Shit. _ I walked into the bathroom, pulling off my wet clothes as I went. Turning on the shower as hot as I could stand it I let the room fill up with steam before stepping in and letting the hot water soak my skin. I almost moaned at how good it felt, forgetting where I was for a moment. I stayed under the stream until I couldn't stand it anymore, turning off the water and wrapping a large fluffy towel around me that had been hanging next to the shower. I picked up my wet clothes and hung them over the towel rack in the bathroom, then moved to the closet. _This is strange, there are women's clothes here but Sizemore didn't have a daughter…_ I pulled out a pair of jeans and a grey tank top with a flowy grey and white striped shirt to pull over it. Rooting around deep in the closet I found a pair of grey boots that had a small heel in my size. _Not bad. If I get shot at least I'll look cute for the medics _I thought looking at myself in the mirror. I moved back to the bathroom and found a hairbrush and a hair tie so I wrangled my wet curls into a ponytail and called it good. With all that out of the way, I started wandering around the bedroom.

The room screamed female. The bedspread was a deep purple in a floral pattern, the bed had a multitude of pillows on top of it. If I could afford that many pillows my bed would look the same. As I wandered around the room I caught sight of a photo out of the corner of my eye sitting on a dresser and stopped. Picking it up I walked backwards until my legs hit the bed and I plopped down hard on the mattress.

The photo had to be a few years old, it showed three people. Anthony and his son were on either side of a young woman, but she was closer to Mark. Her arm was linked with his as if they were walking down a wedding aisle, except this was taken outside somewhere tropical, they were on a beach with the sunset behind them. It dawned on me I recognized the woman, I had met her before…it was Katherin Bend, Alexander's personal physician. I liked her, she was a little older than me but we had a lot of fun shopping and hanging out when I spent time with Alexander few years back. She shared my dislike of Homer, he had never treated her nicely. Now I'm wondering if he knew this side of her… did Alexander?? I heard the door unlock and tried to toss the photo behind me but Anthony came into the room too quickly.

"I see you found the clothes. I'm glad they fit you, they've been sitting collecting dust for years and deserve to be worn." He saw the shocked look on my face, there was no way he didn't. My mouth was open and I was full on gaping at him. Apparently the sight was funny, he chuckled at me. _Great, the mob boss thinks I'm funny. _ "I expect we will be seeing your Mr. Manoso arrive soon, shall we wait downstairs?" I sat there staring until Ape #2 came over and hauled me up by the arm, escorting me behind Sizemore out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. "Hungry?" My eyes were as wide as dinner plates at the spread that was laid out but I didn't trust my voice yet so I just nodded. _Might as well have a last meal, right??_

**A/N: Anyone see that coming?? **


	27. A Night to Remember Chapter 27

**A/N: Forgive the absence… I've been writing, and then rewriting this for awhile. I have added and taken away a bunch of stuff and decided to just stop futzing and publish it. LOL. Hopefully it doesn't read weird. I'm trying to make Kat have her own voice, and I'm not doing well with her wording …. But I hope you enjoy! As always, PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

Chapter 27

**Stephanie's POV **

My mind hadn't wrapped itself around the fact that apparently Katherin knew the Sizemore's intimately, or at least Mark. She had never talked to me about how she came to Alexander's employ, this revelation took me by surprise. _Did Alexander know Katherin used to live here? Does Anthony know where she is now?? _ I was sitting at the breakfast bar with a million scenes running through my head watching Anthony patter around the kitchen looking completely domestic when I heard a doorbell. Immediately the Ape twins stood on either side of me, while a bunch of other cronies positioned themselves strategically around Anthony and the room while another answered the door. I heard raised voices but couldn't make out what they were saying until they got closer to the kitchen area. Anthony turned towards the voice and I practically swallowed my tongue when I caught an glimpse of who it was.

_Speak of the devil_ Doctor Katherin Bend walked in like she owned the place, black medical bag in hand. I sat silent, _maybe this is all a ploy to rescue me somehow??_ "Anthony, what's with all the extra security? I walked past 10 extra guards it seemed like." she breezed in and kissed him on both cheeks, before acting surprised to see me sitting there. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had a guest…Who's this?"

"Katherin dear, I didn't realize you would be coming by, I haven't heard from you since the funeral." He grabbed her hand and led her over to me. "Ms. Stephanie Plum, may I introduce you to my daughter in law Katherin Bend." She stuck her hand out towards me and grinned, so I shook it.

"Um, nice to meet you…" _Sure Steph that sounded convincing._

She was still smiling at me before turning back towards Sizemore. "Anthony is too sweet isn't he? Are you cooking dinner? Oh my gosh I interrupted!! I'm **so** sorry I haven't been by recently , my plate has been completely full with my practice." She smiled and waved to the Ape twins behind me, I almost fell off my stool when I saw a hint of a smile on their faces. "So nice to meet you Stephanie, how do you know Anthony?"

"Uh…" the eloquence was astounding. Thankfully Katherin breezed right through my lack of a response and just kept the conversation moving.

"Anthony I came to grab a few of my things. Would it be okay if I stole your guest for a few minutes, then I'll leave you to your dinner? I need a female's opinion on my outfit for a big party I'm attending, it's fate she's here!" Katherin just kept on grinning at Sizemore, who apparently had blinders on when it came to her because he just smiled back and nodded at her. She grabbed my hand and pulled me close to her "Send the cavalry if we aren't back in an hour!" she giggled and we ran up the steps to the bedroom I had been in previously. As soon as we were in the safety of the room she bolted the door from the inside and whispered "The Eagle has left the nest." I gave her a wide eyed look, backing away from her slightly before she burst out laughing. "I'm sorry Steph, I've always wanted to be a part of a big rescue operation so I could say a coded message like that. I feel like I'm in a Bond movie or something!" She was still laughing as she handed me an earpiece she took out of her ear, as well as a broach style pin she removed from her jacket. "Someone has something they'd like to tell you." She smiled pointing to the equipment she handed me, then pulled out her penlight from her bag and started flashing it in my eyes checking for a concussion. I paused and she waved her hand at me to go ahead.

I tried the raised eyebrow look at her but I failed miserably because she just laughed harder. I stuck the earpiece in my ear and a lump caught in my throat. "Stephanie?" _Ranger_! "Stephanie the pin Kat handed you is a microphone, can you answer me?"

"Ranger? Is that really you?" My voice was shaky and my knees were weak. I felt like I hadn't heard him in months, when it had only been a few hours.

"It is Babe. Kat is there to distract Anthony so we can get you out. Follow her directions to the letter, and we'll meet you outside the property okay?"

I wasn't convinced. "Ranger" my voice dropped to a whisper and I turned my head away from the woman checking me over. "She's not who she says she is… I don't trust her." I heard Kat snort- I guess I wasn't a quiet as I was trying to be. Well that and she was right next to me.

"Steph, I promise she's trustworthy. Alexander vouches for her, and you trust him don't you?"

That was low, of course I trusted Alexander. "She was married to Mark-" I tried to explain but Ranger cut me off.

"Babe. Please, trust me on this… do exactly as she says. We'll see you soon." I nodded then remembered he couldn't see me so I just replied with an ok and handed the pieces back to her. She refitted the earpiece in her ear and fluffed her hair to fall over her ears, perfectly disgusting the piece. She attached the pin back to her jacket as well.

"The Doc is back. Give us 10 guys, Steph needs to hear my side of this story before she's going to be willing to follow directions from me." She pushed something on pin in before motioning towards the bed. "Have a seat Steph. I'll be quick." She saw the photo I had picked up earlier and tried to hide behind me when Anthony came into the room. She picked it up and her eyes glazed over, like she was a million miles away. Her fingers skimmed the photo before she sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. I sat down cautiously and she took a deep breath, starting her story.

"Mark and I met when I was going into medical school. I knew immediately he was my soulmate. Dashing, a charmer, he was sweet to me… his mother had just passed away and he was hurting. I became his person, his rock. When his dad got to be too much he turned to me. We were together for years, and then he asked me to marry him the night I finished med school. We didn't want anything big, but Anthony Sizemore didn't do small. It was a huge event, all his business associates were there." She got that far off look in her eyes again before shaking her head and focusing back on me. "The reason you caught his file as a FTA was because he was arrested for sexual assault and attempted murder right?" I nodded at her. " I was the victim. My name was kept out of the papers, and Anthony has no idea I'm the reason his son was arrested. Mark lied to him, said we had a fight and he had gone out, gotten drunk and picked up a hooker who lied and accused him of assault." I could see the tears forming in her eyes as she swallowed hard trying to stay calm. "I know he wasn't a good guy when you caught him Steph, but you should have seen him when we first got together. He was so sweet…" She sniffed and shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Anthony has no idea what happened between Mark and me. That's the only reason he left us alone up here. To him I'm still the grieving daughter in law, the woman who loved his son."

I couldn't think of anything to say to her, so I just grabbed her hand and squeezed. It must have been the right move, she turned towards me and threw her arms around my neck. I patted her on the back gently and let her cry for a few minutes until she slowed down, her breathing more regulated. "Katherin, does Alexander know what happened?"

She gave me a slight nod. "Of course, he saved me. After that all happened I became pretty lost, I felt out of place here but didn't feel right being on my own. Alex found me one day. We struck up a conversation , he asked me to become his physician and the rest is history." She reached down and pushed something on the microphone again before saying "Okay I'm back."

I stared at the woman who had just been clinging to me for dear life, sobbing against my shoulder. She was more brave than anyone I had ever met. I didn't know if I should mention that it was Alex that had Mark killed, or just leave it be. I decided for the time being to just ignore that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me I was betraying her trust. She stood up and crossed the room to the window, where she glanced out over the grass before a grin spread on her face and she waved me over. "Steph, the guys are right over that ridge. See the glint?" I squinted and saw a flash, where light had reflected off something.

"Yes! I see it, that's them?" She nodded at me.

"Guys, I'm handing the earpiece and microphone back to Steph. You can talk her through the rest of this adventure. Tell my boys they had better come in guns blazing or I'll be severely disappointed." She gave me a wink before pulling the earpiece out and handing it back to me. I put it in immediately and heard yelling coming through, but there were too many voices at once for me to understand what they were saying. She handed me the microphone and gave me a quick hug before pointing me to a wall covered in a book shelf.

I let the voices continue to ramble while we moved to the wall. She pulled a book down and I could hear something click, then the wall opened. I KNOW my jaw dropped because she laughed at me and pushed it closed with one finger. "There are secret corridors all over this house. This used to be my room when I lived here, Mark would sneak in through this passageway so his dad didn't know we were sleeping together before the wedding." I must have gave her a wide eyed look because she laughed "He's old fashioned. Anyway this one goes downstairs to the greenhouse, where you will be able to escape. It'll be a straight shot to where the guys are waiting for you." She looked down at her watch "You'd better hurry before Anthony comes in here looking for us." She gave me a gentle nudge towards the staircase.

"What about you ?" The voices finally got quiet in my ear.

"I'll be behind you, I promise." She gave me another quick squeeze and I walked into the narrow passageway. When she shut the wall it got pitch black. "Ranger? Can you hear me?"

"We hear you Steph. Where's Kat?" I felt along the wall until I found the railing for the staircase.

"She told me to go, that she would be right behind me. Ranger I think she's sacrificing herself so I can get away. You've got to get someone in here now!" I crept along making my way carefully down the steps until I hit solid ground again. I pushed on the wall in front of me and it opened fairly easily. So I pulled it back closed and sat down on the bottom step. "I can't leave her here Ranger." I could hear a rumble of voices until a clear one came across.

"Cupcake?"

"Joey??" I slapped my hand over my mouth so I didn't make too much noise. "Joe what are you doing there?" I didn't care, even though I asked the question. I was ecstatic to hear my best friends voice.

"Hang tight Cupcake. They've got a plan, just stay hidden for now okay?" _No problem there!_

**Katherin's POV **

_Prior to seeing Stephanie_

I took a deep breath and sighed. I hated the fact I was going to have to walk back into that house, it held too many memories for me. Living there while Mark and I were engaged and then married, the nights we spent together before it all went to hell in a hand basket… but Stephanie needed me. I could do this, it was just another part to play. I've been playing the grieving widow for so long it was second nature to me, this would just be an extension of that. "Guys you should know, Mark and I were married. Anthony still thinks of me as his daughter in law, he won't question me being there at all." True to their demeanors the men from Rangeman just stared at me without saying a word. "But we need a plan on how to get Steph out without arising suspicion." I continued.

"What do you suggest Doctor?" Ranger asked. I turned to look at him and saw the chocolate brown eyes of a man who was trying desperately to not lose it.

"Kat. Call me Kat please. I suggest I go in under the pretense of picking up some of my old wardrobe, and then take Steph to my old room saying I need her help deciding on clothing options for a work function." The group didn't appear convinced so I kept going. "My old bedroom has a secret passage that leads to the greenhouse, in the back of the house. From there it's a straight shot through the back yard to the tree line. You can wait there for her. I lived there, Anthony considers me family. He shouldn't give a second thought to me stopping by." I reiterated, but they still didn't look convinced. Shaking my head I reached into my medical bag and pulled out my weapon. "I have this as my back up in case things go sideways, how's that ?" That must of convinced them because they all nodded and smiled at me. A few of them got a glazed look in their eyes when they spied my weapon of choice. _Men_.

I felt Alexander's hand on my arm so I turned to face him. "Katie, you don't have to do this. There has to be another way to get Peanut out where you won't be trapped in there. I know the images that house must conjure up…" He was right, the last time I was there was the night Mark almost killed me. I hadn't even gone back for the funeral, choosing to stay in a hotel instead. It would be difficult walking back in there, but to save Stephanie I would face it.

"I've got this Alexander." I gave him a kiss on the cheek and turned back towards the men. "So, we agree?"

At that moment I heard loud voices towards the front door. I saw Alexander bristle, and Trouble and Phoenix rush to our sides. Ranger's face went blank as he mouthed a name at us.

A man with brown shaggy hair burst into the room, a gun sitting on one hip and a badge on the other. "Manoso what the hell?! You were supposed to keep her safe!!" He started laying into Ranger full steam ahead, completely ignoring the rest of us in the room. I had to giggle, but Alex didn't take being ignored nearly as well as I did.

"Detective Morelli?" He said as he took a step towards the red faced man. The man nodded and Alex stood in front of him, gesturing towards me to join him. As I moved forward I saw the fear in the mans whiskey colored eyes. "I've heard a lot about you from Peanut. I'm sorry it took this for us to meet. Alexander Ramos." He stuck out one hand towards the detective, the other on my lower back. The detective had the good sense to apologize for his outburst, shake Alexander's hand and turn his eyes towards me.

"And you are?" he said smoothly as he stood there, hand outstretched in my direction. I smiled at him, shaking his hand.

"Katherin Bend." I didn't offer up anything further than my name, I could tell he was confused as to what I was doing there. Alexander turned and went back to the couch to sit next to his son, leaving me there in the middle of a group laden with testosterone. Typical, I was used to it. "So gentlemen, the plan is simple. I'll enter the residence, get Steph alone, take her to a safe spot before returning to the fray. Once she's hidden and it dawns on them she's gone it'll take no time for Anthony and his thugs to start looking for her, so we need to act quickly. I'll show her the escape route, give her my earpiece and microphone and you need to take over from there." I said pointing to Ranger who nodded at me.

"And how will you get out?" Their medics voice came from beside me, making me jump.

"Geeze, give a girl a heart attack why don't you??" He grinned and chuckled at me waiting for my response. "Anthony won't believe I had anything to do with her disappearance, and I plan on leaving as soon as Steph is back with you all. I'll stick around for a few minutes, make small talk, then walk right out the front door." By the looks on their faces I knew I wasn't going to convince them I would be fine, so I didn't try. "So, everyone ready?" I gave a quick kiss and hug to Alexander, lectured his son Manny that he needed to rest, and made my way to my vehicle, with the group from Rangeman following me. The computer hacker, Hector, stayed at the house to watch the surveillance cameras and give updates to us if anything changed. I showed them to where they would wait for Stephanie, then made my way around the property and pulled in to the drive like I was just getting there. _Showtime Kat… _


	28. A Night to Remember Chapter 28

**A/N: This will be a bit longer note than normal…We are 28 chapters down and I don't feel like this story is going to stop any time soon. I feel like I could re interpret most of Janet's books with my characters and storyline. Is that something that would interest you guys? Or are you thinking "Geeze this is dragging on forreeeevvvverrrrr…." LOL. Please be honest with me!**

**Also I want to take a moment to seriously thank all my reviewers. There are a lot of you that consistently review every chapter, and I want you to know how much I appreciate your words. Seriously, they make my day (week, month, year!) From the bottom of my Plum lovin heart, thank you. I'm at almost 300!!!**

**Okay enough sappiness… back to your regularly scheduled chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I create, which sadly is not anyone you recognize. Also…warning for mature subject matter discussed in this chapter!**

Chapter 28

**Katherin's POV **

_After seeing Stephanie_

_Great idea Kat, this should go over swell. _I had given Stephanie my microphone and ear piece so she could be in contact with her friends at Rangeman. Now I was on my own. Not a huge deal, except I was feeling drained from my earlier conversation with Steph when I explained my history with the Sizemore's. I didn't even go into full details of my last encounter with Mark, the wounds were still too raw.

For the longest time I felt stupid and naïve for believing this man could do such a thing to me, but after awhile I became numb instead. I shut off my heart for the longest time and denied myself the chance to grieve. Grieve the physical loss of my husband, but also grieve the loss of the opportunity to talk to him again… get an explanation as to what was going through his mind when he came home that night, drunk and high, and attempted to rape me. It was like my fear didn't even register with him, he ignored my cries , my fists punching him… nothing broke him from his goal. That was until I scratched his face in an attempt to get him off me, then his hands wrapped around my throat and he squeezed until I passed out. I won't ever know what stopped him from killing me that night, maybe that's why I feel so un easy about coming back to this place, I haven't had any true closure from the situation. I hid from Anthony, from Mark, from the world… until Alexander found me.

Alex struck me as a sweet man, kind of like that friendly guy who likes to flirt with all the girls. He never did anything inappropriate, it's just the vibe he gave off. His son, on the other hand, was a jerk from the get go. Homer never quit flirting with me trying to get into my pants. Even after Alexander told him in no uncertain terms to back off, he was relentless. I haven't seen him since I walked in here, so I'm hoping I avoid him all together. _Suck it up buttercup, you've got to distract the goons downstairs._

Since Steph was hidden away in the secret passage I knew she would be safe. I waited a few more minutes, gathering a dress and shoes from my closet to corroborate my excuse for being there, and made my way back downstairs. It was rapidly approaching dusk, and I had warned the men from Rangeman when the guard shift change would be happening, so they knew exactly when to tell Steph to high tail it to the woods. All I had left to do was act nice towards Anthony, then vamoose outta dodge . I'm hoping they caught the mention of the 10 extra guards when I walked in so Trouble, Phoenix and the Rangeman crew aren't ambushed. My heart was pounding rapidly, I could feel myself slipping into a panic attack so I slowed my breathing before making my way back into the kitchen.

"Katherin, where's Ms. Plum?" Anthony's voice surprised me and I had to steady myself.

"Oh my gosh that smells amazing Anthony!" I made a production of walking over to him and sniffing the pot he was stirring. "Your guest is laying down, she wasn't feeling so hot. I think I overwhelmed her with my wardrobe questions. She asked me to let you know she should be back down in about 30 minutes or so. She just needed a quick cat nap."

Anthony shared glances with Bruno and Bart, his bodyguards. I was lucky, both of them loved me. I picked the dress up off the back of the chair I had laid it on and sashayed over to them, holding it in front of me. "Boys, what do you think of this dress? Proper enough for a hospital function?" Their eyes got wide as I twirled around, making the bottom flare.

"Yes ma'am Mrs. Sizemore. That looks really nice ." Bruno answered and his twin nodded in agreement. I had to turn away from them as the tears sprung to my eyes at my married name.

"Do you need an escort for the event Katherin? One of the boys will be glad to accompany you." _Shit. There is no event, how can I get out of this without tipping my hand??_

"That is so unbelievably sweet of you to offer Anthony, truly. I hadn't really thought about that part…" I trailed off and the tears that had been pooling to fall. _Que the sad widow…_

"Of course dear, you will always have a home here with us. Never forget that. You're family." Anthony put his hand on my arm and for a moment I forgot what I was doing there, lost in the memories of the good times I had in this house. Then I noticed the time on my watch and knew I had to get out of there, or I would be right in the middle of a gun fight.

I wiped my tears off my cheeks, stood tall and smiled at my father in law. "I'll let you know what I decide okay? I'm so sorry but I have to run. We'll talk soon." I gave Anthony a quick kiss on the cheek, and waved to the twins before practically running out the front door to my car.

**Ranger's POV**

The doctor was smart. She knew exactly when we needed to give Steph the warning to run, when the guards would change shifts and when there would be an small window of time when Stephanie had the clearance to get out. We waited until 8 PM on the dot, and I gave her the command to go. Stephanie didn't hesitate, she made it outside and through the clearing to where we were located in less than 90 seconds.

"Ric!" She ran straight into my arms and I held on tight, not wanting to let go.

"Babe. You're a sight for sore eyes…" I pulled away and gave her a once over. "Any injuries from the crash?" My fingers skimmed her cheek where a nasty bruise had formed and I felt a lump in my throat.

"Just that, and I lost consciousness after the car hit us, but other than that I'm okay. We have to go get Kat out of there!" She made the motion like she was going to go back towards the house. "We can't leave her in there Ranger." I wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her towards the car we had waiting.

"You're going to Ramos' house. We will get Kat back." I made a motion to the man sitting inside the vehicle and he jumped out, making a dash towards us.

"Cupcake!"

"Joey!" The best friends embraced, and he ushered her to the vehicle he had just exited.

"I'll take her back to Alexander's house and we will wait for you there." Morelli and I shared a look as I nodded and he got in the car, driving away.

"Ranger, doc has left the building." Hector's voice broke through my earpiece and I let him know I copied.

"Men, the objective is simple. Take Sizemore alive. Vest up!" My group of men consisted of my core team members, plus Cal, Hal, Zip and Ram. We also had Phoenix and Trouble tagging along, since they knew the ins and outs of the property. After we finished getting dressed we made our way to the front of the property, tailing behind Ramos' men. I was more than happy to let them breach first. It didn't take long for the gunshots to start flying.

**A/N2: Sorry kind of short this time... **


	29. A Night to Remember Chapter 29

**A/N: Broke 300 reviews! *happy dance* Thanks for the love y'all!!**

Chapter 29

**Stephanie's POV**

Joe pulled into Alexander's drive, ushered me out of the car and towards the front door before I knew what was happening. I walked in and was immediately smothered by Alexander.

"Peanut, I'm so glad you're okay!" I couldn't breathe he was squeezing me so tightly.

I felt a smile take over my face at his unusual display of affection. I whispered his name, afraid of bursting into tears. He let go and held me at an arms length.

"Oh Peanut, I'll have Katherin look at you when she gets back. Come, come…" he grabbed my hand and led me to the couch where Manny was sitting. I held back as I wrapped my arms around him so I didn't injure either of us further. He wrapped his good arm around my neck and pulled me close.

"You gave us a scare Wifey." He kissed my good cheek before letting go and I settled in on the couch, Alexander on one side and Manny on the other. Joe was standing awkwardly in the doorway until we heard the front door slam and Katherin breezed in. I saw his eyes follow her as she walked past him and stopped in front of me.

"Stephanie, good you're here!! You have any issues leaving the house?"

I shook my head "Nope, your plan worked perfectly. " I stood to hug her and she pointed down the hallway after giving me a tight squeeze.

"I want you in my suite, so I can check for a concussion and any other possible injuries." I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to tell her I was fine but she cut me off wagging a finger in my face. "What is it about you all that makes you think you're invincible?? I don't want back talk, just go!" I saw Joe's eyes open wide, I knew what was going through his head. I don't take kindly to people telling me what to do , and I REALLY hate doctors. Kat though, she was okay. I figured I would play nice since she endangered herself to save me and all. I spun on my heel and made my way down the hallway until I got to her suite. Pulling myself up onto the table I waited for her. A moment later Kat walked in with her medical bag, Joe trailing behind her. I had to giggle, the look on his face was too precious. I figured he wanted to be near in case I went off on Kat, but he didn't need to worry. "Okay Stephie, tell me what hurts." She knew I HATED that nick name, apparently she decided to torture me on multiple fronts.

"Besides the obvious" I said, pointing to my cheek with the bruise "I actually feel pretty decent. I did pass out after the initial crash, and I have a slight headache." She flashed that stupid light in my eyes a few times, and then felt around on the bruise on my cheek. "Shit Doc, you think you can be a little more careful poking at me??" I glared at her but she just shrugged me off.

"Your cheekbone isn't fractured, which is a good thing. Just need to clean it and slap on some butterfly bandages, you'll be good to go. You will have some pretty coloring there for a bit, don't be surprised about it." I nodded, wasn't the first time I had gotten banged up, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. I watched as she went to her cabinets and got the required items to clean me up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joe moving closer, until he was right next to me.

"Cupcake, you scared the shit out of us… you're lucky you weren't injured more seriously." He squeezed my hand as Kat started to clean my cheek. As she poured what felt like straight acid on my wound I squeezed his hand hard and hissed.

"Fuck! Doc your bedside manner leaves something to be desired." I scooted farther away from her as she laughed at me.

"Good grief Stephie, it's just peroxide! Would you rather the handsome medic guy come take care of you?" I grinned at her.

"You've met Bobby then. I take it you liked what you saw?" It was my turn to laugh as she blushed a deep pink. We bantered back and forth until we heard yelling coming from the main area of the house. Kat quickly bandaged me up and we ran into the living room to find Anthony Sizemore, unconscious, laying on the floor and the guys with various stages of injuries.

I scanned the group, searching for the pair of dark brown eyes I had grown very fond of, and my heart started racing when I didn't see them at first. Joe must have figured it out, he wrapped an arm around me and leaned in close, repeating "Breathe Cupcake, breathe…" over and over in my ear.

Then all of an sudden I felt the tingle on my neck that I had come to think of as my "Batman sense", because I felt any time Ranger was around. I saw him walk in helping Tank who was limping. As soon as I felt Joe's arm let go of me I took off at a dead sprint towards Ranger, who looked up at the exact right time to hand Tank off to Cal who on his other side and grab me as I launched myself into his arms. I could hear him whispering in Spanish, which it course I didn't understand a lick of, but it didn't matter. The emotion behind his words was all I cared about. I clung to him like he would disappear if I let go, and the noise, the chatter, it all melted away, it was just he and I left in the room.

**Ranger's POV **

The ambush had gone as close to our plan as it could have. A few of my men were injured, but nothing Kat couldn't take care of. We retrieved Sizemore, and his men had been dealt with, so I called it a win.

As I was helping Tank into the living room at the Ramos house I felt Stephanie's presence, which caused me to hand him off to Cal who was on his other side. Good thing I did, because a brown headed blur launched herself into my arms the second I let go of Tank. I wrapped my arms around her as tightly as I thought she could handle, and whispered softly into her ear "_Mi amor, estoy tan contenta de que estés a salvo. Moriría sin ti en mi vida._" I knew she didn't understand what I was saying, but hopefully she got the feeling behind my words.

I didn't care we were in a room full of people, the moment Stephanie pulled back and I could see the tears rolling down her face, I leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't slow, it wasn't romantic. No, there were too many emotions rolling around. I was demanding, running my tongue over her bottom lip, gently nipping at it. I heard her whimper as she pushed her whole body against mine, her hands running through my hair. We separated only when the need to breathe became too much, both of us were panting from the intensity. I cupped her face in my hands, and whispered again to her "_Te amo Stephanie. Mi vida estaba vacía hasta que llegaste._"

I could have held her all night long, running my fingers through her curls, watching her sleep. I almost asked her to spend the night with me when we made it back to Haywood until I heard a throat clearing, snapping me back to the present and my surroundings. I tore my gaze from Stephanie's ocean blue eyes and found Doctor Bend grinning at us. "So Stephie, you think you can let go of your man there long enough so I can make sure he's uninjured?" Steph's face flushed as she tried to move away from me, but I wouldn't let her.

"I'm fine, check my other men please." I nodded at the doctor and led Stephanie off to a unoccupied corner of the room.

**Katherin's POV**

_Damn_! I watched Stephanie hurl herself into Ranger's arms and I had to grin. My grin got even wider after the lip lock they shared, it was like they were the only two people in the room. I'm pretty sure if I didn't do something we would all be privy to them having sex right there in the middle of the living room! So I did the only thing I could think of, cleared my throat and made a witty comment at Steph. She had the good sense to look embarrassed, but Ranger was having none of it. He told me he was fine, and to check his other men. Who am I to argue with a man that looks like that?

I made my way around the room, checking all the men who had done back from the encounter at Anthony's house. Most were superficial injuries, I cleaned and bandaged them up quickly. Ranger's second in command though was a different story.

"And your name big boy?" I asked the very tall, very large, bald black man who was looking a little peakish.

"Tank ma'am. My name is Tank." He tried to stand straight, but as soon as he attempted to put weight on his leg he cursed.

"Well Tank, I need you to drop your pants." I motioned to my table "Then can you manage to get yourself up there soldier or do I need to call in reinforcements ?" To his credit he did get his cargos off and managed to hoist himself up onto my table without too much bad language spilling out of his mouth. "And please, no ma'am crap. I'm Kat, or Katie." I made him lay back as I examined his leg. I was so focused on my work I didn't hear Ranger walk in.

"So Doc, can you save the leg?" I jumped a bit at the voice but laughed at his question, especially when the big guy started cursing even more.

"It'll be tough, but I think I can manage." I winked at Ranger. He had moved into the room and was standing next to my patient's head, a hand clasped down on one shoulder. After Tank made a moaning noise I took pity on him and explained his injury. "Tank you got hit by a ricochet it appears. Shrapnel has embedded itself in a few places in your leg. I'm going to pull out the leftover pieces of bullet, stitch you up, and you'll be good as new."

"Thanks ma- sorry…Kat." I smiled, his brow was furrowed, like he didn't believe me. I stood and moved to his other side, opposite where Ranger was standing. Placing my hand on his arm I looked him square in the eyes.

"There's no need for you to apologize to me for being respectable Tank. That title just makes me feel old, that's all. How about you call me Doc instead, huh?" His face lit up and he nodded. "Now, I'm sure you're a big tough guy, but pulling these bullet fragments out of your leg is gonna be a bitch. Do you want any pain medication before I start?" He shook his head, giving a glance at Ranger.

"No Doc, let's just get it over with."

*Spanish translations come from Google, hopefully I didn't butcher them too badly!!

1 My love, I'm so glad you're safe. I would die without you in my life.

2 I love you Stephanie. My life was empty until you came along.


	30. A Night to Remember Chapter 30

**A/N: Folks, we've made it to chapter 30! What will be up now for our friendly men in black and crazy haired brunette badass?? This one was a bit tricky to write, but hopefully you enjoy.**

Chapter 30

**Tank's POV**

_Holy mother of everything good in this world this fucking hurts!! _ I tried to remain still, keep my bad ass image up in front of the pretty doc, but **FUCK**! I attempted to keep my mind off the pain by having a conversation with Ranger, but it wasn't working . "So Rangeman, that kiss with Stephanie was som-**FUCK**!"

"Sorry big boy, I know it stings." She gave me a wink and a smile. "You sure you don't want pain medicine?" I looked over at Ranger who had a very small smile ghosting across his face. I knew if I gave in I would be the laughing stock of the company, rivaling Hal's getting tasered by Steph. Cursing under my breath I shook my head.

"No Doc, just… get it done." I responded to her through gritted teeth. She patted my good leg and went back to removing the shrapnel pieces out of the wounds. To her credit she didn't delay the procedure any longer than necessary, and really she did the whole thing with minimal pain to me. I didn't try to talk to Ranger about Stephanie or the kiss again, but I gave him a look so he knew we would be having a chat ASAP. That little girl has captured the hearts of everyone at Rangeman, and considering the display they put on earlier it appeared they were taking whatever was between them to the next level. I hadn't talked to Les since the day in the hospital, but it definitely looked like Steph had made her choice.

About 10 minutes later she announced I was done. "Thanks for not killing me with your bare hands Tank, I appreciate it." Ranger cracked an even wider smile for a second before shaking his head. I gave her a grin. I couldn't be mad at her, it wasn't her fault gunshots hurt like a bitch! "I've taken all the shrapnel pieces out of your wounds, cleaned and bandaged them. Thankfully none of them did any severe damage to your muscle or ligaments, you need to rest for a day or two, make sure your medic changes the bandages, and you should be good to go!" She got up from her stool, rinsing her hands and started to disinfect the equipment she used. "You can put your pants on now big guy. I'm assuming you'll be needed for debriefing or something." She smiled at Ranger and myself before turning back around to finish her work.

"Ranger" I got off the exam table gingerly, and pulled on my cargos "What's our next step?"

"Debrief in 5 in the main area. Doc, we'll need you there too." Ranger replied, and the Doc nodded.

"Has Anthony been …" Her cheeks got flushed and she had trouble finishing the sentence. I understood, it was her father in law after all. Ranger took pity on her and responded .

"Ramos had him moved out of the main living area. You're in no danger of being seen by him." I could see the relief flood her face by the time he finished his words. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

"Okay I'll be there as soon as I finish cleaning up." She turned back around and kept working on her task while Ranger helped me out to the living room. I took a look around the room, thankfully there weren't very many injuries on our side, me being the worst. Taking a seat next to Manny on the couch, I waited for the debrief to start.

"So Manny, I heard the most interesting thing earlier, you know, before the bullets started flying…" We laughed and he nodded.

"Yeah, what do you know, Alexander Ramos is my dad. I found out the other day when Wifey came back from her outing here." Now Steph and Manny leaving the meeting together made sense, she had to get him alone to tell him the truth about his father. "Took me completely by surprise. Speaking of surprise-" he gestured towards Steph and Ranger who were standing close to each other in their own world. "when the hell did THAT happen??"

Laughing I shrugged at him. "Good question…I think we all saw the start of it together!" Manny was just as shocked as i was about the PDA, Ranger is a serious man and he doesn't break that persona ever. So the fact he disregarded his surroundings earlier and showed emotion like that in front of his men said something huge about his feelings for Steph.

Doc walked back in a couple of minutes after Ranger and I did. I noticed Brown casually (well, in his mind it probably was) make his way over to where she was standing , and lean up against the wall next to her. I had to shake my head and fight back a smile. I didn't blame him though, she was pretty, not to mention she handled herself like a pro when she went in to get Steph. In fact, she kind of kicked ass.

Ramos entered the room with his bodyguards and the hum of conversation ceased as Ranger made his way over to stand with the crime boss.

**Stephanie's POV**

"Gentlemen, I want to thank you for all your efforts to bring Peanut back safely. As far as everything is concerned from your end this situation is dealt with." Alexander announced to the bruised and broken group. "I'll handle Anthony from here. Since you didn't bring Homer back with you I take it he wasn't at the house?"

"Alex, I'm sorry…" I walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm. "Anthony killed Homer." I heard a collective murmur come from Ranger's men, my guess they were relieved, although I'm sure they wanted to perform their own version of justice on him for what he did to me.

"I'm just glad you're safe peanut, that's my only concern at this point." He squeezed me tightly and I had to stop the tears from falling at the sight of his face. Alex may be playing cool right now, but I had a feeling he would be taking his anger out on Anthony later on after we left.

"Now what Alex?" I pulled back and he gave a quick glance in Joe's direction before shaking his head.

"You go back to Rangeman with your friends, we'll talk soon." Giving me a quick kiss on each cheek he walked out of the room, indicating we were free to leave. Hector gathered up his computer equipment, while the rest of the men packed everything else up they had brought and made their way outside. I caught Joe's eye and mouthed that I would call him later, to which he mouthed back that he loved me, then walked out. I made my way over to Kat, who had been chatting with Bobby. He nodded at us and walked away leaving us to ourselves.

"You sure know how to make life interesting don't ya Steph?" she grinned at me and I shrugged.

"It's a talent. Thanks again Kat, you have no idea how grateful I am that you risked everything to come rescue me. I know being in the house had to be a nightmare for you, you really have no idea how much I appreciate it… if there's anything I can do…" she cut me off with a wave of her hand.

" Actually Steph, there is." Her eyes cut quickly to where Bobby was standing and back to me. She probably thought I hadn't caught it, but my grin gave me away. Her face flushed pink when we locked eyes, and I made the motion for her to continue. "Talk to Ranger for me about coming to work for him would you?" I was **not** expecting that to come out of her mouth, and my facial expression must have shown my shock because she continued explaining. "I love it here with Alexander. It's been a dream but I need something… more." I knew exactly what she was referring to. Today was probably the most action medical wise she's seen in quite a while, since Alex tries to avoid shoot outs. "Plus, you shouldn't be the only one that gets to enjoy that view while you're at work." She threw in with a wink and we both started laughing.

" I **am** pretty lucky aren't I?" I glanced towards Ranger and started having x rated thoughts about him, causing **my** face to flush pink. He must have sensed something because he smiled at me, making me blush even harder. "I'll talk to the guys when we get back, how's that?" She smiled and threw her arms around me, squeezing tightly.

"Thanks Stephie. You're the best!" She gave me a kiss on my uninjured cheek "Stay safe now, I'm only good for one rescue a month, got it?" We laughed again and hugged before she left the room . Trouble and Phoenix each gave me a squeeze and a kiss, fairly tame for them, before following her out.

I made my way over to the group of men that were left "Can we go home now? I feel the need for a shower and a nap!" They laughed and agreed so we headed out.

By the time we got the vehicle situation under control since we were down a couple , Ranger and myself had made it into one alone (imagine that!) The silence was deafening, and I started fidgeting wondering what was running through his mind. I must have been making too much noise or something because he leaned over and grabbed my left hand, pulling it across the console and into his lap, eyes never leaving the road. I sighed, it felt good to be touching him. The whole kidnapping ordeal only lasted a few hours but damn it had felt like an eternity! I had been so afraid of never seeing him again, I guess he felt the same way.

"Babe. My heart broke when I saw you missing from Manny's car. I feel like you were put in my life for a purpose." He didn't turn towards me, just squeezed my hand when I started to sniff, tears threatening to fall. "Please don't cry babe. You're safe, and Sizemore can't hurt you any more."

I turned my head to look out the window, afraid I would turn into a horrible ugly ball of tears. "Ranger, I was so…"

"I know Babe." He responded, his thumb casually rubbing against the back of my hand. I know he was doing it to relax me, but the problem was my hormones were in overdrive , and he was turning me on. When I sighed and shivered he finally looked at me. "Cold?" I shook my head and lowered my eyes, I could feel the temperature rising in my face. I decided to change the subject.

"So what did you think of Kat?" _She's a safe topic… let's not talk about how I want to reach across this car and straddle him…_

"Babe." Ranger's voice came out sounding strangled and I realized I had spoken my thoughts out loud again.

"Dammit! I'm so sorry Ranger, just… ignore me."

"Not possible Babe." I peeked at him through my lashes and could see he was all out grinning, which was a bit of a shock to me. "But to answer your question, I liked her. A lot. She seems like a great doctor, not to mention she held her own going inside Sizemore's house to help you. Why?"

"She asked me to talk to you about offering her a position." Ranger's face changed from a grin to a look of confusion. "I know she loves Alex, and her position as his personal physician but she needs… more is basically what she told me. I don't really know how all this works, since Bobby is already on staff, but if you were ever to hire more female employees it might be good to have a female physician around." I didn't want to overstep my bounds, being so new to the group, but Ranger must have sensed my concern because he pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed it gently.

"I think that's a fantastic idea Babe. When we get back to Haywood I'll discuss it with the core members, make sure Brown doesn't have an issue with it. You know her better than any of us, do you think there will be any issues bringing her on board? Especially when it comes to the training aspects?"

I shook my head. "Nope, I've actually seen her shoot before, Ram will fall in love with her the first time she visits him in the range she's that good!" I heard Ranger chuckle, and the sound shot a dagger of desire through my abdomen.

"I have a feeling he'll have to get in line behind Bobby." I glanced at him and saw the area around his eyes crinkle a bit as the smile lit up his face. "I'm afraid my medic might have a thing for the good Doc."

I giggled "I think the feeling is mutual." We spent the rest of the car ride in companionable silence, until we pulled into the garage at Haywood.


	31. A Night to Remember Chapter 31

**A/N: Everyone still hanging on ?? Good. Because your waiting has finally paid off…. All begging will be answered… Who can guess what that means? ;) **

Chapter 31

**Stephanie's POV **

Before I knew it, we were arriving at Haywood. I saw the men pile out of their vehicles, all congregating around in a huddle as Ranger and I pulled in. We pulled in to a spot and my door was practically ripped off its hinges by the men trying to give me a proper "glad you're alive" hug. I heard a low growl come from Ranger's vicinity, but it didn't deter the guys. Ranger wisely let go of my hand before Cal reached in, unbuckled me, and drug me out of my seat in one fell swoop. "I'm glad you're okay Angel, I don't know what we would do without you." He kissed me on the cheek before passing me to the next individual, and so it went until the main man had enough.

"Conference room Core team!" He barked out and the men all grumbled before heading to the stairs and leaving us alone in the garage. I knew Ranger was going to kiss me before he ever made the move, and I felt a tight knot form in my lower region. He flashed his key fob at the cameras before cupping my face with his hand, leaning in and running his thumb over my bottom lip to keep me from biting it. He replaced his thumb with his mouth, starting sweet and slow, then ramping up the kiss by reaching around and pulling me flush against him, his hands resting on my ass. God I wanted this man, but my inner good girl was telling me I should wait, that this was way too soon. The other voice in my head, the desperate one who hadn't had an orgasm by anyone besides myself since Homer (I know, sad) said forget it, jump this man immediately! I didn't even notice Ranger had pulled back until I opened my eyes and saw the two pools of obsidian staring back at me. "Something's burning babe… which side should I be rooting for to win out?"

_God he knows me too well already. _ "I'm just having a crisis of conscience is all." I blushed and he leaned back in, kissing me on the forehead.

"Well, let the voices know they can take a break from competing for awhile. Why don't we go talk to the guys about hiring the Doc?" I must have had a relieved look on my face because he smirked as he hit the button on the fob. "Don't think for a second this alleviates the need for you to make a decision babe, it just delays it for a while is all." He winked at me and I felt a rush of desire shoot through my body.

"Ranger, what is that thing you keep pushing?" He laughed as he jingled the keys in front of me.

"This? It scrambles the cameras babe." _SHIT! Meaning if he didn't do that the whole world would see me struggling to stop from throwing myself at him??_ "Not the whole world babe, just the guys watching the monitors. Besides, now isn't the time to be bashful, we were basically making out in front of them earlier." The elevator doors opened and he ushered me inside, hitting the button for floor 5. I forced myself to look at the floor, I knew if I caught his gaze I was done for. Thankfully the awkward silence didn't last long, because as soon as the doors opened I was accosted by 3 very large men in black at the same time my stomach let out a very unladylike roar, and I realized I never got to eat due to the whole kidnapping situation. The guys burst out in huge smiles, dragging me to the conference room, Ranger trailing behind.

As I walked in the smell of something delicious hit me full force, and my mouth began to water. I had my nose in the air, sniffing excitedly when I caught a glimpse of Ella in the corner, arranging platters of something on the table. "Stephanie!" She called out and I stepped over to her, allowing her to envelope me into a motherly hug. "I'm so glad you're okay you sweet girl." She held me at an arms length, eyes scanning me. "I bet you're hungry after that ordeal. Here, sit and relax!" I must have made a whimpering noise as I watched the guys fill their plates because she clicked her tongue at them before filling a plate full and sitting it in front of me. "Don't you boys know, ladies first!"

They had the good sense to lower their eyes and mutter "Sorry Tia Ella." as she stood behind me no doubt glaring at them with a glare that would make the 'Burg proud. I giggled and took a bite of the concoction on my plate, and nothing could have held back the moan from escaping my lips after the tastes hit my tongue, not even wild horses. All four men shifted in their seats, while I did a little happy dance in mine. I heard Ella chuckle, and felt her kiss the top of my head before hearing the door shut indicating she had left us alone. When I raised my eyes I saw all four gentlemen staring at me, their forks poised mid air. Grinning at them I went back to stuffing my face full of food, and finally they went back to eating.

After we were finished, I was so full I was afraid they would have to roll me out of the room, Ranger cleared his throat, and the meeting actually started. "Gentlemen, an interesting request was voiced to me on the car ride back from the Ramos estate…" I could see Les, Bobby and Tank's eyes full of questions, but they surprisingly didn't ask any, instead they waited patiently for Ranger to continue. "Doctor Bend has requested that I employ her."

He had barely gotten the sentence out before Bobby yelled "YES!" the other three men started chuckling while I had tears rolling down my cheeks from laughing so hard. Bobby got a sheepish look on his face and his cheeks blazed from embarrassment, but he followed his outburst with a less aggressive "Yes, you should hire her."

Ranger didn't even try and hold back the smirk from playing across his face. "And here I thought you might object Brown, considering she would be taking over most your current duties."

"I mean, I don't mind my medic duties at all, but now that you're here Steph, it might be good to have a female physician on staff, you know, to make you feel comfortable." I continued to giggle , unable to help myself.

"Gee thanks Bobby, I'm happy to know that you are concerned about my comfort level. You sure didn't seem to care as you were torturing me with exercise the other day! " I heard Les snort, which caused me to start rolling in laughter again. Finally after a few minutes I wiped the tears off my cheeks and grinned at the group. "Actually that's exactly what I mentioned to Ranger in the car. If you guys hire any more female employees it might be good to have her around. Not to mention if the guys go to the hospital I won't have to pretend to be married to them just to get information!!" That set off another round of laughter by everyone until they got it all out of their systems.

"I take it we are all in agreement then?" I heard "Aye!" from the three men, and Ranger turned towards me smiling. "Might as well call her Babe, tell her to stop by tomorrow and we can do the paperwork." I internally did a cheer and immediately held out my hand to Ranger, who looked at me with a bewildered look on his face.

"My phone, I'm assuming you grabbed it from the car?" He nodded and pulled the phone from his pocket, laid it on the table and slid it over to me. Scrolling through I saw I had missed several dozen calls from my mom- _sorry mom, I'll deal with you tomorrow _a few from Eddie, and had one message from Joe letting me know he wanted to see me as soon as I had some free time _I'll make him go to dinner with me Friday, he will love that! _I skipped all those and went straight to my contacts, hit Kat's number and pressed the speaker button. After two rings I heard a very excited voice come on.

"Stephie! You think about my request? Or did you just miss me so unbelievably bad you had to hear my voice again?"

"Ha you're hilarious." I tried to sound stern but it wasn't working, the guys (minus Ranger) were all making kissy faces at Bobby, who was turning redder by the second and it was making me giggle. "Listen Kit Kat, you're on speaker. Say hi!"

"Oh my gosh Steph you could have warned me! Hi guys, what can I do for you?" I motioned to Ranger, and he cleared his throat.

"Doctor Bend, it's Carlos Manoso-"

"I believe I told you to call me Kat Mr. Manoso." I saw Ranger's face shift into a small smile before he continued.

"And I believe I told you to call me Ranger."

"Touché. What can I do for you Ranger?"

"I was hoping you would stop by our office tomorrow, it seems we are in need of your talents." He glanced at Bobby as the words left his mouth and I was surprised the poor guy hadn't combusted he was so red, which I figured would be difficult for a guy with the dark caramel complexion Bobby has. But nope, he was as red as a fire truck, it was adorable.

"Sure Ranger, I'd be happy to make an appearance. Don't tell me you injured yourself again big boy!" Tank grinned at the term of endearment meant for him .

"Nope Doc, I missed your impeccable bedside manor was all." I heard Kat howl and even though I couldn't see her I **knew** she was rolling her eyes at his statement.

"Alright big fella, you sweet talker you. Is there a specific time I need to be there?"

"Stop by around 10. Bring your side arm, if you don't mind." The guys were throwing Ranger questioning looks but he ignored them.

"Never leave home without it! Steph, do me a favor and take me off speaker please? See you gentlemen tomorrow." I grabbed the phone after the four of them said their round of goodbyes and walked into the hall to finish my call.

"What's up Doc?" _Ha!_ Again I could feel her eyes rolling due to attempt at humor.

"Is it just us girls now Stephie?"

I did a quick look around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before I responded "Yup, just us girls." I could hear her let out a breath she must have been holding. "Kat?"

"Am I in trouble? Is Ranger shipping me off to some foreign country that ends in -stan? Did I tease the big guy too much?" Her voice had an edge of panic to it. I couldn't help it, I busted out laughing again, much to her anger. "Stephanie Michelle Plum! Why are you laughing at me?! Those guys are legit scary!"

I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand, leaning against the wall and sliding down until I was sitting on the floor , my knees touching my chin. "No Kat, it's nothing like that. I talked to Ranger on the ride back here, told him you asked me to ask him to hire you. He thought it was a great idea. He put it to a vote with his core members and it was unanimous, you are officially the third woman employee of Rangeman. Congrats Kit Kat!!" I heard her squealing on the other end of the phone and I couldn't help it, I burst into a huge grin, her excitement radiated through the phone.

"Oh my gosh THANK YOU! You have no idea what this means to me Steph, truly…" As excited as I was for her, I knew her next conversation was going to be a rough one.

"What will you tell Alex?"

"The truth. You know Alexander, he only wants the best for us. I'll just explain it doesn't mean I can't still work for him, it just means I'll be out of the house more.

It'll be fine. I'm going to go talk to him right now. Again, thank you Steph!" We said our goodbyes and disconnected just as the conference door opened and Lester stuck his head out.

"Hey beautiful, you ready to come back in?" he held out his hand and pulled me up to a standing position and I shook my head.

"Do I have to? I'm exhausted Les, seriously toast. Tell Ranger I'm going to my apartment and I'll see you guys tomorrow." I stood on my tip toes and planted a kiss on his cheek before heading to the elevator. As soon as the doors closed I released the tears that I had been holding back the entire day. When the doors opened one floor down I drug my feet to my apartment to let myself in, and walked immediately to the bathroom to grab a shower.

I amazingly didn't fall asleep standing although I felt like I could. After the shower I wrapped a towel around me, and walked back into the bedroom to find Ranger lounging on my bed. "Shit Ranger! You scared the crap outta me! Why are you skulking in the dark??"

His eyes ran over me and I remembered what I was wearing (or really, lack of what). I gripped the towel tighter and gave him my best 'Burg glare, which would scare little old ladies and shitty skips but not him. He wasn't phased at all. Instead it seemed to intrigue him, encourage even. His eyes turned the dark black color they were in the car ride back here, and I watched him rise off the bed and walk to me in movie quality slow motion. Or maybe that's just what my mind saw, either way he was getting closer and closer, even though I kept backing up away from him. I could hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and my breathing started to get more shallow with every step he took. Finally I had backed up as far as I was able to, I hit the wall behind me as he placed one hand on either side of my hips, and leaned in close.

"You know Babe, I like the whole hunter/prey aspect we have going on here, but I have to say, I would rather you be a little more relaxed. I'm not going to bite…" _Damn_. His eyes darkened even more "Unless that's what you want…" God I did, I really did. I wanted him to rip the towel away out of my grasp and take me hard against the wall, until I screamed his name. But I couldn't tell him that, how much would he respect me if I did that? I could see the smile slowly start on his face. "Babe, relax. I like our relationship, but you also know I want more. I won't push you, just know I'm here, whenever you want to take it to the next level." He was millimeters away from my lips, all I had to do was lean forward and we would connect.

"I want to go on a date." He stood up and stared at me. _Where the hell did that come from ?! _

"A date huh?" The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "I could do that. How's tomorrow sound?"

_Holy. Shit. _ "That sounds perfect Carlos." Oh boy, when I said his name those eyes darkened again, as he squinted at me like he was thinking about what I said. Then out of the blue he grabbed my arms and pulled me close to his body one more time.

"Say it again Babe." His lips danced over mine softly, I could tell he wanted to apply more pressure, but he was waiting. Whether it was for me to give him the okay I'll never know, but I whispered his name again and felt him press against me with his lower half as his mouth moved down my neck to where my shoulder met it, and he bit down gently. I felt a rush of wetness between my legs, my knees buckled and I would have fallen if his hands weren't gripped around my upper arms. I felt his tongue caress the spot he bit, then work it's way back up to meet my mouth. Our tongues battled for dominance until I pulled away, the need to breathe too much for me.

"_Dios Mio_ (Oh my God) I need to go." Ranger stood abruptly, let go of me and turned to walk away.

"Ranger!" He stopped and turned back towards me, his eyes glazed over. "What's wrong? Did I say something…" my insecurities were blazing but to his credit he shook his head and walked back towards me.

"No _querida_, (dear) this is all me. I'm trying to stay in control, but I feel it slipping away when I'm around you and I don't want to frighten you." He leaned forward, his eyes staring into mine as our foreheads touched. "I'll see you in the morning Babe." With one more kiss he turned and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts, and feeling the need to take another shower- ice cold this time.

**Katherin's POV**

After I got off the phone with Steph I walked into the study and found Alexander sitting alone, staring into the fire with a scotch in one hand. I grabbed myself a glass and sat down next to him, waiting for him to realize I was there. Finally after ten minutes of silence I laid my hand on his arm, causing him to break out of the trance he was in.

"Katherin, I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in." His eyes were red, meaning he had spent a good amount of time crying, but being the man he is didn't want me to know.

"It's alright Alex, I needed to talk to about something, but-" He cut me off with a wave of his hand.

"Tell me _κόρη_, what do we need to discuss." (daughter)

The term of endearment he used shot straight through my heart. Daughter… my own parents died so many years ago, and at one time I felt like I would never find someone to take their place. Then I met Anthony and Mark, and was accepted into a family unit. After everything that had happened, Anthony still thought of me as his daughter in law (well, before tonight at least). Then there was Alexander. Alex has been my saving grace, my father and my protector for years now. The weight of what I was about to tell him started to grow heavy on my conscience. Homer wasn't the most upstanding, stellar individual, (obviously), but he was Alexander's blood, so his death had to be hurting Alexander's heart. "Alex you know I love you right? You've been my father, my family, for a few years now. I love it here…" He could sense my reluctance and smiled at me.

"Katherin, just say what you need to say. You don't need to be afraid my love. Whatever it is, just say it."

I nodded, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly before looking into his eyes. "Alexander I need to do more. I'm absolutely thrilled you don't need my attention very much, please understand that, but I feel like my medical expertise is being wasted." I paused to try and gauge his feelings and continued. "I asked Steph to put in a good word for me with Ranger and his men. She called me earlier and they are offering me a position with their company. I'm going in tomorrow to sign the paperwork." I felt him squeeze my hand before standing and moving towards the fireplace.

"You're leaving me then?" his voice broke on the last word and I was afraid I had made a terrible mistake.

"No Alex! I will continue to live here, be here whenever you need me. My position there will be to see the female employees, and they only have two at this moment, so it shouldn't take me away for very long at all. Maybe help their medic out with the other employees if he needs it. I am not leaving you _μπαμπάς_ (papa), I wouldn't do that." I felt the tears start running down my cheeks, and I hung my head in silence until I heard Alex speak again.

"Oh my darling girl… Don't pay any attention to me. It'll be good for you to be out of the house for the next few weeks , while I decide what to do about Sizemore." He walked over and sat next to me again. After sitting his glass on the table next to the couch, he grabbed my free hand with one of his and wiped my tears away with the other. "I want you to take Trouble with you. I trust Ranger and his men, they proved themselves today, but I would feel better if he was with you. Will you agree?" I nodded, the tears still thick in my throat. "My sweet girl… I love you so much. This will give you time to bond with my son Manuel as well. Watch his recovery, and report back to me." He leaned in and kissed both my cheeks before calling for Trouble. It didn't take him long to appear, the guards don't stray too far away from Alex.

"Yeah Boss?"

"Katherin is going to Rangeman tomorrow, she is starting employment with them. I want you with her every moment, do you understand? As I told her, I trust Manoso and his men but I would feel better if you were near her anyway. Understood?"

"Yes Mr. Ramos. Understood." Trouble held out a hand for me to help me up off the couch, which I accepted. "You need help packing Kat?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not bringing anything tomorrow besides my medical bag, and my weapon. After my paperwork is completed I can ask about living arrangements." Leaning down I kissed Alex on both cheeks as he had done to me earlier. " Thank you for understanding Alexander, this means more to me than you'll ever know." I finished my drink, handing the glass to Trouble and left them to go back to my room. I was exhausted, and needed time to decompress before starting my new adventure.


	32. A Night to Remember Chapter 32

**A/N: Okay so… maybe that wasn't so much smut as smut-adjacent. Don't worry though, it's coming!! (Wink. Wink.) Also thank you to Elenimou who sweetly sent me a PM letting me know I had put mama instead of papa in my Greek translation. I was using Google and copied what it gave me so please forgive the mistake. I also have no idea how to fix it, but I appreciate the note ! Sorry I can't reply to your PM my fan fic app is stupid. ;)****ALSO! I personally am not a medical professional, nor do I have any medical background besides working for insurance companies, so please forgive any thing I make up in Kat's school and history details. Ok I think that's enough, now, on with the show!!**

Chapter 32

**Stephanie's POV**

I woke up the next morning feeling unbelievably excited that Kat was coming to work here. Not that I minded being one of the only two females, the guys had been nothing but sweet and understanding thus far, I just felt happy that I would be sharing this experience with someone I knew and trusted. Yes, I had a moment of doubt when I found out Kat had been married to Mark, but that was completely gone after she spelled out the situation for me.

My best friend from high school, Mary Lou Stankovic, was a great sounding board when Joe and I would fight, but she had her own life and kids to deal with. Lula and Connie are fantastic if I want to gossip or shop, but I couldn't go to them about this thing between Ranger and myself, I would never hear the end it. Actually, come to think of it, I should introduce Lula to Tank, I bet they would get along famously… hmmm… I'll come back to that later. My cop friends are great guys to hang out, watch a game and drink beer with, but their "girl talk" skills are lacking, since they have the wrong anatomy for it. No, Kat coming to work here just might be the best thing to happen in awhile. Well, besides me meeting these guys that is.

I got myself out of bed, did my bathroom routine, got dressed and downstairs to the gym in record time. Playing some very loud, upbeat music in my earbuds as I walked into the gym, I didn't even notice Bobby trying to get my attention until he grabbed my hips and waved a hand in front of my face.

"You must be listening to something good for you to be that out of it sweetheart!" Bobby chuckled at me as I pulled the earbuds out.

"I'm sorry Bobby! I was in a zone. What can I do for you?"

That cute red tint was splayed across his caramel skin and he got all jumpy, like he had a dozen Red Bulls or something, except since I've met the guys none of them seem to partake in anything that wasn't completely healthy. "I was wondering if I could maybe… ask you… like…" The embarrassment was absolutely adorable. I tried not to giggle as he kept trying to come up with what he wanted to say, but I was unsuccessful, and a huge grin spread across my face. Bobby drug a hand through his short brown hair and shuffled his feet before I went ahead and put him out of his misery.

"You want to know about Kat right?" he gave me a wide grin and nodded.

"What can you tell me about her? Besides the stuff we've already been informed about…which isn't a lot." I shook my head and motioned for him to follow me. We sat down on a bench and I started in.

"I met Kat when I was having trouble with a skip and needed Alexander's help. I had no idea she had been married to Mark, so when I found out my first instinct was to distrust her but I was wrong. She's probably the bravest person I know." I got quiet for a second trying to determine if I should go into what happened to her, then decided she should reveal that herself to the guys if she wanted to. She lived through the ordeal, it was her story to tell. "She's great Bobby. Truly. But I'll warn you, she did go through a pretty rough time with Mark, so take it slow with her. I have every confidence in the world that she will warm up to you guys in no time, but… just give her some breathing room." Bobby grinned and nodded at me.

"Thanks sweetheart. I just… it's rare I find someone that isn't scared of what we do. Now I've found two women in a short span of time that aren't." He winked at me "I feel like I've won lottery!"

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped. "I will tell you, there is a bunch of guys that will line up to hurt you if you step out of bounds with her!" I had to tease him, even though I knew good and well he would be nothing but a gentleman.

He rolled his eyes and it made me proud, he could have grown up in the 'Burg with that eye roll!! Standing up he kissed me on the forehead and sauntered off to spar with a Rangeman I didn't recognize, while I moved to the treadmills. Placing my earbuds back in I started out at a light jog, but after the first few songs I had increased my speed. It wasn't until I felt a hand on my arm that I realized I had been jogging for the last hour and wasn't even winded! I jumped off the treadmill, pulled my earbuds out and looked up into to sparkling green eyes of Lester.

"Hey beautiful! You were really in a zone there, good music?" I made my way to the fridge that I had been oblivious to on my last visit and grabbed myself a water. I motioned to Les with the bottle and he shook his head indicating he didn't need one, so I shut the door and walked back to the bench before responding.

"Yeah sorry Les. I want things to get back to normal as fast as possible, so I figured the gym would be a great place to start. Today is hard rock day." I held out an earpiece so he could hear the music blaring and he grinned. "Anyway what's up?"

His green eyes twinkled, like he had a secret or something. "So this Doc, you like her huh ?"

"Yes, as I told Bobby, she's great. Why, don't tell me you're going to give Bobby a run for his money with her… are you??" Lester let out a loud snort which made me start giggling.

"I was just making conversation! Although…"

I heard Bobby yell from across the gym "NO! STAY AWAY FROM HER LES!" which caused he and I to completely lose it, rolling on the floor in hysterics . Once we calmed down I realized she would be arriving within the hour so I excused myself to get a shower and change.

I cut it close, running in to the conference room on 5 with my hair still wet and pulled up in a makeshift bun. My eyes darted around the room but I relaxed when I realized she hadn't arrived yet. Sitting down next to Tank, I leaned back in my chair and listened to the menagerie of voices swirl around me, until the door opened and Ranger walked in. "Gentlemen, and lady" he winked at me as he said that "May I introduce our newest Rangeman employee, Doctor Katherin Bend." He stepped aside and in walked Kat, dressed in a knee length pencil skirt, silk tank top, and blazer looking completely professional and at ease. She had her black medical bag with her, and I saw Trouble walk in behind them, taking his position at the door. "Katherin will be assisting Bobby with his medic duties, and will be on staff for Ella, Stephanie, and any other female employees we hire in the future. " He turned to Kat before sitting down "You want to tell them a little about yourself?" I watched Kat stand at the head of the table and smile at the room full of men. If she was nervous, you couldn't tell, her eyes shine bright with excitement.

"So I met some of you yesterday, but for those I didn't as Ranger said my name is Katherin Bend. You can call me Kat, or Katie, whatever floats your boat. I have been the personal physician for Alexander Ramos for the last few years, so this will be quite a change."

"You have a weapon? Everyone that works here has to go through firearms training." Ram spoke up and Kat nodded, reaching into her bag and pulling out her gun, flashing it at him.

"You must be the one they call Ram? You're the firearms trainer right?" Ram grinned a 200 watt smile at her and nodded.

"You heard about me?"

"Only that you were the best sniper this side of the Mississippi… I'm looking forward to hearing how you feel I do with my weapon." Kat winked at him and I swear I saw his cheeks flash red.

"Doc, you have any other training?"

"Not as much as would be necessary if I was , how do I put it, not living the cushy life as a mob bosses physician, but I think I do okay. After my… situation…I did take some self defense classes, but I could use some fine tuning on them." I could see the guys eyes light up, and I knew what they were all thinking. I bit back a grin as I watched Bobby glare at the men around the table, and then grin widely as his eyes met Kat's. It was adorable really, and I never thought I would be calling a soldier/mercenary adorable, but that was the best description. I tuned back in as I heard Kat continuing her background.

"I double majored in college, so I am an MD as well as having a PhD in psychiatry. I'm not sure what all Stephie has told you about my history…"

"Nothing in detail Kit Kat, I figured you could go over whatever you felt the need to." I grinned at her as she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Okay, I have to ask-" Les spoke up "What's with the nick name? Steph called you that a couple of times now, tell me there's a story there?" Kat and I laughed as she motioned for me to tell the story.

"Well one night when I was staying at the Ramos estate as Alex and the boys were helping me with my case, I got bored and Kat and I decided to have ourselves a girls night."

"Being around guys 24/7/365 gets a little draining- no offense to you all, but... Stephie decided to sneak a bottle of Alexander's really good scotch and drink our cares away." She started giggling and I joined in as I remembered that night.

_Flashback_

_Katherin's POV_

_Steph had just taken the bottle of the good stuff out of Alex's study, and we locked ourselves in my suite sharing the bottle back and forth._

_"Holy shit this is strong!" Steph took a swallow out of the bottle, then handed it to me before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You know what we need…"_

_"What?" I took a pull from the bottle before handing it back to her._

_"Dessert. Oh! I know! We should go get ice cream!"_

_A thought raced through my mind "No, not ice cream… CANDY BARS!!!" I heard Steph let out a deep moan indicating I had made the right call. I knew we were both way too tipsy to drive anywhere, so I picked up the phone receiver on my office phone and pushed 2, then hung up. A few moments later we heard a knock at the door, so I attempted to make my way towards it without falling over. The door didn't cooperate with me, no matter how much I pulled it wouldn't open. I gave one last tug and found myself ass over tea kettle on the floor, Steph laughing hysterically at me. I propped myself up on my elbows and stared at Alex's number 2, Ken Maines, standing in the doorway. Ken, or Trouble as he was aptly named, walked into the room with a grin and held out his hand to me. I looked from his hand to his face for a moment, before he shook his head and reached down to place a hand on each hip and pulled me back into a standing position._

_"What can I help you ladies with tonight?" I stood next to him, weaving a bit from the scotch, and he placed his hand on the small of my back to steady me._

_"Trouble! We need candy bars! Will you go to the store and get us some? Pleeeaaseee??" Steph had no difficulty standing and walking over to where we were, sliding her hands across Trouble's broad chest and down his huge arms. "Pretty please? With a cherry on top?" I could see his resolve wavering, Steph just had to bat her pretty blue eyes at anyone and they would do her bidding._

_"Sure SP. What kind do you want?" Steph read off the list of candy she wanted him to pick up for her and then turned to me. "And you Doc?"_

_I thought about it for a moment before I replied "Kit Kats."_

_End flashback_

"To this day whenever we have a little too much to drink I track down my favorite TastyKake, and Kat grabs the Kit Kats." I smiled at Kat and she met my smile with a wider one of her own as the laughter floated around us.

"Any other questions gentlemen?"

The mood shifted when Cal held up his hand, and Kat pointed at him like a school teacher, indicating he could ask his question. "What was the situation you were referring to earlier ?" I sucked in a sharp breath as Kats eyes darted to me then back to Cal. "I mean no disrespect or anything ma'am…" Thankfully that broke Kat out of whatever trance she had been in listening to him ask the question because she let out a quick giggle, and the tension in the room eased.

I heard Tank chuckle as she started in. "First off, let me just say that I'm taking ma'am off the list of names you guys can call me by." She winked at Cal whose cheeks turned as red as the flaming skull on his forehead. "I appreciate the need for respect and formality and all that, but I just don't require it. So please, Kat or Katie. I hear you call Stephie some interesting nick names, maybe you can find one that suits my personality." The guys were all smiles, I could almost hear the gears turning in their heads coming up with new pet names for her. "Second, to actually answer your question requires a little more background on myself than what Steph has told you all I'm sure. As you all know I was married to Mark Sizemore, but I'm also the reason Steph was given him as a FTA." I watched the guys around the room sit up straighter on instinct when they feared what her next words would be. "Mark almost killed me one night, to this day I have no idea why he snapped the way he did, or what stopped him from actually completing his goal. It's something I live with every day of my life, knowing the man I married, that I loved, could turn into the man I feared most in an instant." She looked around the room and I saw her demeanor change. "I don't want pity, if that's what is going to happen here then I'll turn around and walk right back out the door. It happened, I processed it, and I continue to grow from it every single day." I saw the guys change the looks on their faces from the ones of pity to admiration and respect as she spoke. "So, anything else I can clarify for you?"

I saw Ranger lean back in his chair, arms crossed as he asked "Yeah, when do you want to start?" All the men clapped and cheered as Kats face broke out into a wide grin.

"Today too soon?"


	33. A Night to Remember Chapter 33

**A/N: Yay! Glad that chapter was well received :) Sorry for the extended absence, personal stuff has been happening and I think we are finally okay for right now. Long story short my husband is super sick, and he's had a few health scares the last couple of weeks, so I've been taking care of him.****I've got a bunch of ideas bouncing around in my head on what adventure our characters will embark on next, so I'm trying to put them in some sort of order. For now… FLUFF!**

Chapter 33

**Katherin's POV **

_I did it. I faced the men at Rangeman, gave them a PG version of what happened to me, and I was still standing (or sitting) tall.. From the little I knew about this group I knew I would receive the backing and support I needed, I just didn't realize they would be so much fun to tease! For a bunch of ex soldiers they sure blushed pretty easily, especially that Hal fellow. I think I'll have fun here, and it'll be nice to have Steph around too… _

"Doc?" A deep voice shook me from my thoughts and I had to blink a few times to bring myself back to the present.

"Yes sorry! I'm still with you." I smiled at the group that was left in the room, and realized it was me with the four men that Steph had called "core members". Even Stephanie had left. _Geeze I must have been more in a zone than I realized. _

"I thought we could talk a little more in depth about your role here." Ranger's face was completely blank, I couldn't get a read on where his thoughts were at. "As you know Bobby is our medic." I caught his eye and he smiled widely at me. _Gosh he's gorgeous…_

"Yes, we've met. I hope you don't mind me coming in and taking over your duties Bobby?" I could tell immediately he didn't, but I wanted to hear him say the words anyway.

"Not at all. It'll free me up to do more apprehensions."

"Not to mention paperwork." Tank commented, causing the others to groan and me to smile.

"Maybe I should get some clarification, what exactly do each of you do for the company?" I looked around the table and was met with a smirk from each man.

"Actually Doc, the company is split between the four of us. We each own 25% of Rangeman." I was shocked to hear those words come from Tank, I had assumed Ranger was in charge…

As if they could read my thoughts Ranger spoke up. "I'm the CEO, the face of Rangeman. Tank is my second in command, and runs the company if I ever need to leave for any reason."

"I'm in charge of accounts, so I meet with clients as needed, and go over the security systems that are installed." The man with the gorgeous green eyes stated. "And it's a pleasure to have you here Doc." He winked at me and I smiled back at him as I heard a low growl come from the vicinity next to him.

"Besides being the company medic, I help out with the training regimes for the guys, build them a workout schedule, and help with dietary guidelines. I've got the medical files of every employee in my suite downstairs, so we can go through them and you can decide how many you want to take care of, then I can take the rest." Bobby explained and I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. Can I ask something?" The guys all nodded so I continued "What are the typical injuries you run across in this line of work?" I figured there would be more of a variety than what I had been handling the last few years with Alexander, and wanted to make sure I was fresh.

"Gunshot wounds, knife wounds, broken bones, sprained limbs. Anything more severe I don't attempt to fix it and they go straight to the hospital." _Okay, this I can do._ "We don't have near the equipment you have in your suite but I think we'll be okay." Bobby smiled again at me and I could feel my cheeks flush a bit.

"Now its our turn to ask a question Doctor." Ranger leaned back and crossed his arms. "Will you be residing in house, or traveling back and forth from the Ramos estate?"

_Good question!_ "Actually , I need to speak to you all about that. Alexander has requested I stay away from the house for awhile, while he makes a decision on what to do with Anthony. Is there a possibility of me staying here?" They again all nodded their heads in unison.

"We have an empty apartment on 4 next to Steph that you are welcome to use. Did you bring any luggage with you today?" Ranger asked and glanced towards the door where Trouble was still standing. "I take it you're a package deal?" Trouble just nodded and I smiled.

"Per Alexander's instructions yes, he would prefer Ken stays with me for the time being. Is that a problem?" Ranger shook his head.

"Not at all, we want you to feel comfortable. You don't mind sleeping on a couch do you?" He commented towards Trouble who just laughed.

"Give me a pillow and a blanket, I'll fall asleep anywhere." He grinned and I shook my head laughing.

"I told Alex I would come back this evening to pack. So gentlemen, anything else I need to know before I sign on the dotted lines?" I picked up the pen Ranger handed me and twirled it around my fingers.

"I'm sure you'll have questions throughout the process, but for now…" Ranger pushed a pack of papers towards me, and I about fell out of my chair when I saw the salary.

" I can't accept that! That's way too much, especially since I'll still be employed by Alexander." All four men shook their heads and crossed their arms in unison, making me wonder if they had practiced the routine.

"In addition to the salary, you will have access to a company car, for either you or Trouble to drive, plus of course the apartment here. I'm sure you won't need it, but you'll also be put on our insurance policy." Ranger laid out all the details and didn't leave any room for negotiations so I just kept my mouth shut. "You will hold all the men's medical POAs, and Bobby will hold yours if anything comes up. Is that acceptable?" I just nodded, as he kept going. "We usually use St. Francis for the major injuries. Do you have privileges to any specific hospital that you would want us to use instead?" I shook my head and stared into Bobby's deep brown eyes.

"No, I actually have privileges at all the area hospitals, so St. Francis is fine. Does this happen a lot? Where you can't help the men here?"

"Not often, but I avoid surgery if I can help it. I'm a medic and licensed Physician Assistant, not a full blood MD, but due to my duties in the Rangers I am able to handle most stuff that comes up."

"Although the men would rather have you asking them to drop their pants than Brown." Tank commented and the room erupted into laughter.

I knew my face was red after that comment, but I kept a level head and picked up the pen again. "Okay then gentlemen, I think we have ourselves a deal!" I quickly signed all the documents , passing them to the person next to me as they each signed in their designated spots, until they came full circle to Ranger.

He grinned as he signed his name, set down the pen and exclaimed to the room "Welcome to Rangeman Doctor!"

**Stephanie's POV **

Laying on my bed staring at the ceiling my mind starts to wander. _Am I really doing this? I really asked my boss out on a date?! God Steph it's been ages since you've had a social orgasm, YOU'RE DUE! _ I knew what I needed at that moment, my best friend. I made my way back into the kitchen where I had thrown my phone when I walked in, I dialed Joe's number. Thankfully he answered pretty quickly.

"Morelli."

_He must not be checking the caller ID._ "Joey, you busy?"

"Cupcake! No you're rescuing me from paperwork, what's up? Hey your mom called and invited me over to dinner tomorrow night. Have you told them what happened yet?"

_Shit. _ My folks were a whole other problem I didn't particularly want to deal with at the moment. "No, not yet. Listen I have a problem…"

"Shit Steph, worse than a mob boss kidnapping you?"

"To be fair, Mr. Sizemore didn't technically kidnap me, Homer Ramos did." _Yeah that isn't going to fly with him._

"Seriously, you're arguing semantics with me? You were kidnapped. Homer Ramos is lucky he didn't live, or he would have been tortured slowly by multiple parties."

"Don't remind me, I'll be seeing his body dropping to the ground and the hole in his head in my nightmares for awhile. No, different type of issue. I kind of told Ranger I wanted to go out on a date with him… tonight." I could hear him laughing at me through the phone, and I gritted my teeth. "Hey! Why are you laughing at me??"

It took him couple of seconds of gasping and wheezing before he answered, the jerk. "Cupcake, you haven't been on a date in awhile. You're just nervous. Besides, I know the two of you have chemistry, shit half the eastern seaboard's electricity could have been powered from the spark between the two of you when you kissed! So stop over thinking things, and just have fun." The rhino was going back in her cage the more he talked, and I started to feel better. "Call Mare, I bet she would love to get away from those boys of hers for an afternoon of shopping."

Mary Lou, my other best friend, had three sons, a husband who she had been with since high school, and was the center of my 'burg gossip ring. She probably could use some time away from her crew. "Thanks Joe, you're right, it has been awhile since I went out. I feel better already."

"Good. Does that mean I get out of Plum family dinner tomorrow ?" Now it was my turn to laugh hysterically. "Thought not. Gotta run Cupcake, call me later." I agreed and we hung up. I immediately dialed Mare's number, and after three rings I heard screaming coming from the other end of the phone. Pulling it away from my ear rapidly I hear Mary Lou yelling at her brood to be quiet, and when it's safe put the phone back to my ear.

"Mare? It's Steph, bad time?"

"Hey Steph! No, the boys seem to think it's okay to paint the dog. You don't know what gets out paint from dog fur do you? Never mind I'll Google it. What's up?"

I had to giggle before launching into what had been going on with me the last week or so, and of course I got an earful from her about not telling her sooner, but forgave me when I mentioned possibly escaping for the afternoon to the mall and why I needed her help.

Before long she was screaming to her husband Lenny that he was watching the kids, and that she would be gone for a few hours. "Should I pick you up?" I wasn't sure if Ranger would feel comfortable having my friends know where his building was, so I told her I would meet her there in an hour. That gave me enough time to actually get dressed, swipe some mascara on for luck and go back up to 5 to let the guys know I was heading out for a bit.

I got to the conference room just as the doors were opening and the group came out into the hallway. Trouble picked me up and gave me a squeeze and a kiss before I could say anything to them, but it made me smile. When he put me down I saw Kat's very excited face. "You signed the papers I take it?"

She nodded "Yup, it's officially official!" We had our girl moment where we both squealed and hugged each other as the guys just looked at us in amazement and shock, I guess they weren't used to a couple of girls getting all giggly unless it was because of them. "Ken is driving me back to Alex's so I can pack up my belongings, I'm moving in to the apartment next to you." I smiled widely at her and squealed again, this would be like having my sister living next to me.! That was, if Val and I got along as well as Kat and I do. "Where are you headed?"

"To the mall with Mary Lou, I was actually just coming down to let you guys know I would be gone for a bit." Then I got a brilliant idea. "Kat you should make Trouble go pack your stuff for you and come with!" We both turned towards Trouble, batting our lashes at him. I could hear the guys chuckling and I'm pretty sure I heard a coughed "whipped" come from Lester's direction. Trouble just rolled his eyes (surprisingly he isn't from the 'Burg but still does that so well) before he answered.

"You can go with SP, I'll go pack both of us up if you want Kat." She grinned and kissed him on the cheek as I did the same on the other side.

"Wait, you trust him to pack your… unmentionables?" Lester raised an eyebrow "Lucky bastard." I glared at him while Kat just giggled and Bobby smacked him not so gently upside the head.

"Dude, behave! You'll scare her off. Sorry Kat, ignore Lester. He isn't allowed around women all that often, he doesn't have the proper social skills."

That caused a round of laughter to come from the group and an indignant "Hey!" to come from Lester. Kat texted Trouble a list of what to bring for her, and he set off back to Alexander's to get them packed, promising to return shortly.

"So Trouble is moving with you huh? You know, you could just let him have the apartment, and move your stuff in with me! It could be a permanent sleepover!" Kat grinned at me and I could see the wheels turning in the guys minds at the thought of two females sharing a living space.

"I appreciate that Steph but we will be okay. You need your own space, and Ken won't be here long I'm sure. Alex just wanted him around me until he makes a determination on what to do with Anthony, save me from any blowback I might get caught up in." I had been so focused on everything I had been through, I forgot how this could affect her. Anthony didn't make his millions by being a stupid man, he has to have realized Kat was in on the whole escape plot. No wonder Alex wants Ken close, even surrounded by all these professional security officials Kat was still in danger. "So where are we shopping?" I shook my head and smiled at her.

"Quaker Bridge mall. We're meeting Mary Lou there so let's get the lead out!" I got a kiss and hug from each man standing with us until Ranger spoke up.

"I want someone with you." I gave him my attempt at an eyebrow raise and he quickly followed up his statement with further explanation. "As Kat said, she could be in danger from Anthony, not to mention you were kidnapped yesterday. I would feel better if someone went with you ladies. They can be inconspicuous." I snorted loudly at that.

"Ranger none of your men are inconspicuous. They wear all black and look like Greek gods, they will be noticed by every red blooded woman in the mall. Besides, none of them would want to follow us around, that would probably their version of torture."

"Babe." So I know I've only known these guys for a few days, but I'm quickly deciphering the meaning behind Ranger's one word answers. That one meant something alone the lines of "My men have been through many hells, shopping is not on that list."

I shrugged at him "Well then you get to inform the poor guy who is going to be schlepping around behind us for the next few hours, I don't want them mad at me."

"None of us would ever be mad at you beautiful!" Lester snuck in beside me and snaked his arm around my waist. "Any of us would be happy to watch your behinds." I felt the reverberation off the head slap he got from both Ranger and Tank at the same time and had to laugh. Lester is a jokester, but he gives the best hugs, and is a total sweetheart. I knew we would be close friends, but I determined I wasn't attracted to him like I was Ranger. Don't get me wrong, he's a catch, all the guys here are. There's something about Ranger though, like we were destined to be together. I'm done fighting the chemistry between us, and am ready to find an outfit for our date tonight that will blow him out of the water !

Ranger called our bodyguard for the afternoon and informed him to wait in the garage for us, before hanging up and turning back to the two of us. "Steph, are you dressed?" I nodded and pulled put my weapon from the back of my waistband, showing him it was loaded before putting it back in it's place. "Doc?" Kat laughed, but pulled out her weapon from her medical bag, showing him she had it before placing it back in its spot. "Good. Your escort is waiting downstairs. I sent the most likely to blend in, so you shouldn't have any issues. Have a good afternoon ladies." He shook Kat's hand and kissed me on the cheek before walking towards his office.

Tank and Lester followed close behind, but they gave us each a kiss on the cheek before walking away. Bobby was the last to leave us, but he pulled Kat aside before he did. I couldn't hear what he was telling her, but she smiled warmly at him, pulled put her weapon and secured it at the small of her back before handing him her medical bag. Then she kissed him on the cheek and he waved at me before going towards the stairs , to retreat to his office I guessed. "You ready?" She nodded and we made our way to the garage to find my new favorite of all the men leaning against a vehicle. His eyes caught mine and the redness immediately crept into his cheeks. "Sorry you got stuck with this assignment Hal, but I promise no stunning you this time!" Kat gave me a wide eyed look before she turned back to face Hal again.

"Hi Hal." He smiled at Kat before lowering his eyes and opening the passenger side door for one of us, then doing the same to the back seat door before jogging around and getting into the drivers seat. Thankfully this wasn't one of those gigantic vehicles so we could get in without difficulty . I took shotgun and Kat sat in the back as we planned our attack on the afternoon. "So what's with the urgent shopping trip Stephie?"

I glanced at Hal but he kept his eyes focused on the road. "I have a date with Ranger tonight." I said under my breath, but apparently it wasn't quiet enough. Kat grabbed my shoulder and squeezed, and when I turned around to look at her she was grinning from ear to ear. Hal, on the other hand, was completely stone faced and red. We made it to the mall with no catastrophes and were about to exit the vehicle to make our way to the mall entrance when Hal's hand on my forearm stopped me.

"Ladies I promise to give you your space, but please don't try and lose me okay? There are still dangers for both of you and until they are permanently taken care of, I would appreciate it if you would allow me to watch your backs." It was more than I had heard Hal say since I had met him, and it shocked me into silence, all I could do was nod.

"Of course Hal, we will be on our best behavior, won't we Steph?" I didn't for a minute believe Ranger had only sent Hal with us, I figured there were a few more men placed strategically throughout the mall who would follow us, but it didn't bother me. I squeezed his hand that was resting on my arm and nodded.

"Absolutely. I promise, no running away." With that we exited the vehicle and made our way to the mall entrance where I saw Mary Lou waiting. After a round of introductions and hugs, we set off into the mall on a quest for the perfect date outfit.

**Hal's POV**

I knew I would be punished for Steph stunning me and running away the other day, I just didn't realize it would mean I had to follow her and her best friend around the mall for hours on end. Doctor Bend was really sweet to me though, sure she did the girl thing with Stephanie and Mary Lou, but she also talked to me, made me feel a part of their group. Actually it was pretty great talking to her. I knew she was working an angle, probably just learning more about us since she was going to be working with us now, but it wasn't the typical doctor/patient conversation I was used to. You know, the one where the doctor acts all high and mighty , and talks to us like we are less than intelligent for our chosen career path. I can definitely see what Bobby likes about her, and boy did we hear all about how he liked her from Santos.

Santos is worse than a woman in that regard, the gossiping and chattering on about people's personal lives. I knew Les liked Steph, still does, but we all could see that he wasn't going to win that battle, not against Ranger. Ranger is full danger and sex appeal wrapped up in a hard 6'2 frame. It never fails, whenever we go out as a group that he always has all the women hanging on him. Not saying the rest of us aren't just has desirable, it's something about his mysterious side that brings the women flocking to him.

I met Ranger my first year in the Army. I had my pilot's license for a few months when I was recruited to fly overseas and pick up a group that had been stranded for a few days. We got out of the country without taking too much fire, or too many injuries. Once we made it back stateside he mentioned to me that he would be getting out of his contract as soon as he was able to, but was going to start up a security company with a few of the guys he had been serving with, and asked me to join them. I have quite a bit of time left on my contract, so I can be called out at any time where as most of the men at Rangeman have already gotten out of their contracts, and don't have to worry about getting that call. Maybe that's why I'm so shy around women, or maybe it's just the good Catholic boy my momma raised, I don't know. Whether I don't feel the need to get close to someone because I'm afraid I'll hurt them when I inevitably leave, or the fact my mom raised me to be a gentleman so I don't go after one night stands like a lot of them do. I'm not a virgin, I was married before I went into the service to my high school sweetheart, but after one mission I came home to find all of her stuff done and a note on our… my... dresser saying she was sorry but she couldn't stay. I haven't thought about Emily in awhile, maybe it's a good thing Dr. Bend is coming aboard, since she's a psychiatrist as well as an MD it might benefit some of us to talk to her. I know Cal seems to think Steph coming to work with us is going to be our saving grace, but I'm leaning more towards the Doc filling that spot.

I knew Ranger had sent a couple of guys as back up for me but wanted them to blend into the background, so it surprised me when I caught sight of Cal lingering around the food court. We caught each others eyes and I nodded to him, letting him know everything was fine so far as I trailed behind the three women. When they stopped suddenly I almost ran into the back of them, but quickly righted myself. "We HAVE to go in here Steph! You need something for under that dress you found !" I looked up to see what store Mary Lou was referring to and groaned to myself, we were standing in front of Victoria's Secret. As the trio moved to step into the store Steph could see the discomfort on my face and took pity on me.

"Hal you don't have to come in with us, really. It won't take long and I promise we will be right back out." It appeared to me she didn't want me in there any more than I wanted to be, but Ranger had given me strict instructions to stay with them at all times. I was about to tell her forget it when Kat spoke up.

"Hal, why don't you stand guard here at the entrance. No one will be able to get in or out without you spotting them. I have my weapon, so does Steph, in case something does happen we aren't unprotected. In and out in, what, 15 minutes Steph?" She nodded and Mary Lou grabbed her hand, dragging her into the store.


	34. A Night to Remember Chapter 34

**A/N: So is it safe to say you guys are ready for smut?! ;) (No Vicki Snyder1, you can't kidnap Ranger and Steph, no matter how much you wanna play with them!!) ;) LOL Sorry for the delay, but your very deserved smut is coming soon!****Several reviewers seem to think them going into VS alone is a bad idea… let's see what happens to them!! **

Chapter 34

**Hal's POV**

I had never been so happy as I was when I heard Doc tell Steph she had a 15 minute deadline to get in and out of Victoria's Secret. Internally I was cursing Ranger for sticking me with this detail when they stopped suddenly in front of the store, but my inner monologue morphed into less curse words and more promises to shower the Doc with gifts after I heard the countdown start. I watched Mary Lou and Steph raced into the store, Doc smiled at me, and I noticed her bright blue eyes scanning the area around us before nodding to me and stepping into the store herself.

I stood guard outside the door counting the time in my head, getting through the military alphabet 3 times when I heard a shout coming from inside the store. I pulled out my weapon , keeping it low at my side as I spun around and scanned the space for possible enemies. The store itself wasn't that spacious, so I tried desperately not to look at the items on display or meet any of the patrons gazes as I went in search of the person behind the shout. I didn't see the ladies, and the other women in the store didn't seem to be in any hurry to get out of my way, but I attempted to avoid their gazes as I scouted for the source. Suddenly I saw Stephanie run out of the dressing room, and make a beeline straight to me. "Hal! Call Bobby, get him here now!" She didn't expand on her reason behind her request before rushing back into the dressing room. By that time a small crowd of ladies had gathered around the opening to the forbidden (to me) area and I pulled my phone out to dial the office.

"Steph! I need to know what's wrong!" I called out to her as I heard the phone ringing once before the person on the other end picked up. Mary Lou came out of the dressing area and looked straight at me before motioning for me to follow her. I shook my head (no way I was going back there !) as I heard the voice in my phone talking to me.

"Hal? What's going on?" I heard Bobby's concerned voice break through my fog filled brain.

"Steph told me to call you immediately, you need to get to the mall. Don't know any details, just… get here ASAP." I hung up on him and counted quickly to ten before I moved through the crowd of women that were huddled around, talking in hushed tones. "Steph? Mary Lou?" I stepped around the corner to come face to face (well, her face to my chest) with Steph. I caught a glimpse of what I thought was a bare shoulder and being the gentleman I am swept the area for enemies before clapping my free hand over my eyes. "What the hell is going on??"

I heard a snort come from in front of me. "You can open your eyes Hal, everyone's decent." I breathed a sigh of relief before peeking in an open stall and finding Kat sitting on a bench with her head between her knees. "Did you call Bobby?" Nodding I stepped forward, attempting to squeeze my rather large frame into the tiny dressing room without crowding the Doc.

"Doc? What's going on?" She didn't react to my voice, but I could hear her chanting something over and over under her breath. I didn't want to disturb her, it seemed the phrase she was repeating to herself was keeping her occupied so I turned towards the other two ladies. "Can someone explain to me what's happening?"

Steph grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the room so we were out of earshot of Kat. "Kat just got a text sent to her phone." She handed it to me and I could see whatever the content of the message had concerned Steph, but not nearly as much as it affected Kat. I holstered my weapon, and took the phone from Steph before looking down at the most recent message Kat had received.

_You will never escape me Kitty. _

The words weren't all that frightening in and of themselves, but for me the concern was that it came from a restricted number, and the tone of the message could be taken as threatening . I put the phone in my pocket so it didn't get misplaced. Walking out I found a store manager, quietly filling her in on who I worked for and why I was there, and she took care of the nosy crowd that had gathered, letting them know the store would be temporarily closed for a medical situation, and that they could come back in an hour. I was afraid this would cause an issue, but thankfully none of the shoppers disagreed with her as they all moved out of the store. I saw Cal standing near the entrance so I made my way over to him.

"Ranger called, he and Bobby will be here in 10 minutes. Do you know what's going on? Is it Angel?" I shook my head and showed him the message on the Docs phone, which caused him to pinch his lips together in a tight line. "I thought Ramos was taking care of Sizemore? You think we need to contact him?" Talking to Alexander Ramos, the head of the Ramos crime family and gun smuggler was definitely above my pay grade, so I just shook my head.

About that time I heard what sounded like heavy boots hitting the tiled floor of the mall hallway, and when we looked up sure enough there was Bobby and Ranger high tailing it towards us before halting in front of Cal and myself . "Report?" Ranger's eyes darted between me and the inside of the store, searching for Steph.

"Steph and Mary Lou are fine, it's the Doc." I handed Ranger the phone, Bobby reading the text over his shoulder. "Kat is in the dressing room, the store manager cleared out the customers for us." I pointed toward the direction of where the ladies were, and Bobby set off with his black med bag in hand. I looked to Ranger for instructions on what to do next, as he handed me back the phone.

"Get that to Hector, see if he can come up with any leads." I silently tucked the phone back into my pocket. "Cal, go with him, Bobby and I will take care of the ladies." We both nodded and started back towards the parking lot to our vehicles.

**Bobby's POV**

I wasn't sure what the situation was, but when Hal called and said Steph has summoned me to the mall, I knew it wasn't going to be good. After seeing the message Kat received on her phone, my mind jumped to a million different situations. Ramos was supposed to be taking care of Sizemore, Homer and Mark were both deceased, so who else would be threatening her? I nodded at Steph and a woman I surmised to be her best friend Mary Lou who were standing vigil next to a dressing room that had it's door open. Walking into the tight space my heart broke seeing Kat sitting on the small bench, rocking back and forth, her head in her hands. I didn't want to startle her, but it appeared she had gone through or was still going through some sort of panic attack and I knew if she didn't calm down soon there things would get bad. "Kat?" I knelt down in front of her, and made the motion to place a hand on her knee. "Kat, it's Bobby. You want to tell me what's going on?" As soon as my hand touched her bare knee, her head shot up and she stared at me. There were tear tracks down her cheeks , all I wanted to do was grab her tight and protect her, but I still didn't know what had caused the break down.

"Where's my phone? I need to call Alex." Her voice broke as she looked past me and at Stephanie , and Steph just shook her head.

"I gave it to Hal, he probably took it to Hector so he could try and trace the message. Kat, Ranger came with Bobby-" she pointed at me as if to reiterate her to my presence. "He just needs to talk to you okay? Me and Mare will give you some privacy, and I'll call Trouble so he can let Alex know what's going on." She squeezed into the already small room and touched Kat on the shoulder, making Kat's eyes start watering again. "Talk to him Kat, he's a good man." She smiled at me before turning around and walking back out of the cramped space, leaving just me and Kat there.

When Steph walked out of the room I tried again to connect with Kat, placing my med bag down on the floor of the dressing room, taking a finger and raising her chin until she looked into my eyes. "Sweetheart what's going on? Talk to me…" She took a deep breath before speaking.

"You saw the text message?" I nodded as she took another deep breath before responding with words I never in a million years expected to hear come from her mouth.

**Stephanie's POV**

I walked out of the dressing area with Mare and our bags to the sight of a very worried, extremely hot, dressed in full black swat gear Ranger. Seriously it looked like he stepped straight out of a military magazine. The sight of him fully dressed shouldn't affect me as much as it did, but I could make out the muscles rippling under his tight black shirt and cargos. Mare elbowed me out of my stupor as I stared at him and I slyly wiped my drool away before introducing them. "Ranger, this is my best friend from childhood Mary Lou. Mare, this is my boss and friend, Ranger Manoso." They shook hands greeting each other before Mare's cell rang and she had to run off to rescue Lenny from the kids, leaving Ranger and me alone, surrounded by lingerie. I hadn't felt embarrassed enough around the man yet so why not be parked in the middle of half naked mannequins with him?

"What can you tell me Babe?" _Meaning what did I buy for you to peel off me after tonight's date? Oh no shit, he's asking about Kat. _

"Honestly Ranger I'm not really sure. We were in the dressing rooms about to try on… well… you know-" I swept my hand around at the items surrounding us as I felt my face heat up , but I pushed through. "When Kat made this loud gasping noise. So Mare and I opened the door to her dressing room, to find her huddled on the bench, her phone on the floor. She was repeating a phrase over and over, and wouldn't say anything else but that. She scared me Ranger, she was almost catatonic!" Ranger pulled me close to him and I took a deep breath in, smelling his unique shower gel that I needed to learn the name of, and gunpowder. "Were you in a gun fight??" I pulled back and started patting him down everywhere, checking for bullet wounds. He let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"Not that I really mind the heavy petting you're doing here Babe, but I'm fine, there's no need to keep checking me for holes. I was in the range when Bobby called down and told me about his phone call from Hal. We got here as soon as we could. Any idea about the name the text message said? Kitty?"

I shook my head "No, I'm assuming it's a nick name for Kat used by someone that frightened her enough for her to freak out this badly, but I'm lost as to who it could be."

"What was the phrase she was repeating Babe?" I felt Ranger's hand making lazy strokes up and down my spine, leading my thoughts into definite x rated territory.

"It can't be true… That's what she kept saying over and over really low. I tried to get her to explain what she meant but she ignored me completely, it was like nothing else existed to her at that moment." I remembered I had told Kat I would call Trouble so I peeled myself away from Rangers hard, comfortable arms with a quiet sigh and dialed his number.

"SP, what's going on? Need my help choosing your undergarments?" I had to smile at that comment, Ken always was a flirt.

"No Trouble, something happened at the mall." Before I could continue I heard him slamming a door and starting a car engine. "Are you still with Alex?"

"No, I just pulled in at Rangeman, I'll turn around and be there in 10. Is it Kat? What's going on?" I explained the situation and that Bobby was with Kat in the dressing room, but honestly I didn't know if he would be able to get through to her. I've never seen someone so out of it before, and it frightened me, especially since Kat had been so strong throughout the whole me being kidnapped situation. I felt helpless, and wished I could do more. I heard Trouble disconnect so I walked back to Ranger. He must have sensed my turmoil because he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest, my head tucked under his chin.

"It will be okay Babe, Bobby's a good guy, I'm sure he will be able to figure out what's going on." At that moment I saw Trouble race through the store entrance, realizing he had broken a few speeding laws to get here that quickly, since I had only hung up with him a few minutes prior. I pointed towards the dressing rooms silently and he nodded at Ranger and myself before disappearing into them.

**Trouble's POV**

It didn't take me long to pack up mine and Kat's clothing for a couple of weeks, and I had just turned into the Rangeman garage when my phone rang. I turned the car off and started to get out as I answered grinning. "SP, what's going on? Need my help choosing your undergarments?"

Steph's next words caused the smile I had to fall and panic to set in. "No Trouble, something happened at the mall." Before I could think I was back in the car and revving the engine. "Are you still with Alex?"

"No, I just pulled in at Rangeman, I'll turn around and be there in 10. Is it Kat? What's going on?" She went on to explain that Kat had gotten a text message as they were trying on stuff at VS and it had caused Kat to space out. I could tell in the tone of Steph's voice she was really worried, so I broke a few (dozen) speed limits on my drive to the mall, and then hightailed it to their location. When I raced into the store I saw SP wrapped in Manoso's arms. I caught her eyes and she pointed towards the dressing rooms, indicating that's where Kat was so I nodded at the two of them and made my way to Kat.

When I walked through the doors I could hear a male voice talking in hushed tones, and Kat sobbing. I rushed over to the room the voices were coming from and was confronted with the sight of Kat with her head on the Rangeman medic's shoulder, and his hands rubbing her back in slow circles. Clearing my throat I stepped forward into the room. "Brown." He pulled back from Kat's grip and nodded to me before standing and kissing her on the top of her head.

"I'll wait outside Kat, talk to Ken and then we will get you back to Rangeman okay?" She looked up at us and I could see her eyes were completely red, so I knew she had been crying for awhile. He moved out of the small space and I stepped in, replacing him. Bobby gave her one last glance before leaving the two of us alone.

"Katie, what is going on?? SP said you got a text message, what in the world did it say that has got you so upset?" I got down on my knee, and held her hands in mine, rubbing circles on them with my thumbs. "Talk to me." You could have knocked me over with a feather after she finally gave her explanation.

"My husband is still alive."


	35. A Night to Remember Chapter 35

**A/N: Hi fellow Plum fans! I apologize for the huge absence, I actually have been writing this chapter since I posted the last one, but for some reason I just couldn't get it right... Also I've been extremely stressed out this month, and have had quite a few changes. Hopefully things will be settling down soon! I really wanted to get smut in this chapter, but it just wasn't working out, so the date/ rest of their evening will be the next chapter :) . **

Chapter 35

**Stephanie's POV**

I stood in nothing but the lingerie I had picked out at VS (a dark blue lace strapless bra that made my modest B cup look like a nice C and matching panties), staring at the dress hanging on my closet door, trying to decide whether I should go through with this date or not. I know what you're thinking, DUH of course you should you nut! Kat had a horrible afternoon, and had completely shut down after we got back to Haywood. I felt guilty for being excited for my night out with Ranger when she was in her apartment hiding, but there was nothing I could do to help her. Whatever she had told Bobby and Trouble kept them near her for the rest of the day, each holding her hands and reassuring her that they would take care of "it", whatever that meant.

As I stood staring at the dress, I came to the conclusion that whatever was wrong, I couldn't help with , but I should still go and see her before we left. I slid on my midnight blue halter top dress that hit mid thigh and flared out slightly giving it a princess dress vibe, finagled my curls so that they fell in soft waves around my shoulders, strapped on my FMP's and declared myself good to go. I applied a few coats of mascara then grabbed my purse and headed out the door. Kat and Trouble were staying in the apartment next to mine, so it wasn't a far journey. I knocked softly and heard someone padding towards the door. When it opened my jaw almost dropped. Trouble stood in front of me, shoeless **and** shirtless, with just a pair of sweatpants hanging dangerously low on his hips. "Hey SP, you look great! What are you doing here?" I shook the thoughts I had out of my head and found my voice.

"I stopped by to see Kat, is she up for a quick visit?" He glanced backward over his shoulder then nodded and let me in. "I won't stay too long…" My words were cut off by a sniffle coming from the couch. I looked that way and found Kat with her knees to her chin, arms wrapped around her legs. She gave me a small smile as I made my way to sit next to her. "Hey KitKat, you doing better? I can stay here tonight if you want? Or you could spend the night with me in my apartment?"

She shook her head at me slightly. "You look amazing Stephie. I'm so glad you and Ranger are going out. You have to tell me all about the date tomorrow okay?" She kissed me on the cheek, unfolded herself from the couch and walked towards the bedroom. I caught the fact she touched Trouble's arm before making her way into the bedroom. I watched his eyes follow her until she reached her destination, then he turned back towards me. Patting the spot next to me on the couch, he grinned and plopped down.

"Can you tell me what's going on? I was afraid this afternoon Trouble, she really worried me." He shook his head as he leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.

"She'll be okay SP. Just trust me on this one, I'll take care of her." It certainly looked like they were comfortable with each other, seeing as he was half naked and it didn't seem to phase her. I really wanted to be nosy and ask more questions but I heard a knock at the door that interrupted my curiosity. Trouble jumped up and opened the door, revealing a very edible looking Ranger leaning against the doorway.

"I knocked on your apartment door Babe, but when you didn't answer I took the chance you might be visiting Kat." I got up and made my way over to Trouble and Ranger. "Looks like I was right. Ready for our date?" Ranger held out his arm to me, which I happily took. At the last second I turned back to Trouble and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Take care of her Ken, please." He grinned at me and nodded as he gently pushed me out the door. When it was just Ranger and myself I started to get nervous, but I could tell by the look in his eyes the night was going to be fun.

**Ranger's POV**

When I didn't get a response to my knock on Steph's door, I went to the apartment next to hers that was now being occupied by Trouble and the Doc, figuring she wanted go check in on them. Sure enough, there she was, a vision wearing a sapphire blue dress, shoes that made her legs look miles long, and a huge smile. _Dios mio! _ I felt a flutter in my stomach when my eyes found hers, one that I hadn't felt in a very long time.

In my younger years I'm ashamed to admit I was a playboy, women flocked to me. I left a trail of broken hearts all over Newark. Then I joined a gang, and the body parts broken were for a different reason. Still women love a bad boy, and I left multiples in my wake. After I went to juvie, and my folks gave me the ultimatum of prison or the army, things changed. I became focused, intense… I hardly spoke to anyone, which gave me an air of mystery. I met Tank and Bobby my first year after basic training, and for the next few years we kicked ass on every mission. Then my cousin Lester joined up, and the four of us were inseparable.

We were on leave after a particularly rough mission, at a bar trying to relax before our next tour when I saw the most beautiful women I had ever seen (to that point in my life). We got to talking, hit it off and had one night that resulted in my daughter Julie.

Rachel was everything I could have wanted back then, she was gorgeous and funny and smart…we were married quickly after we found out she was pregnant , and I missed most of the pregnancy due to a mission. When I came back on my next leave, Rachel introduced me to the man she had been seeing, and handed me divorce papers. She also asked me to sign away my parental rights, because Ron wanted to marry her and adopt Julie. Stupidly I agreed, and for a few years I had no communication with either of them. I threw myself into my missions to make myself forget all about them both.

I decided to resign from the Army a couple of years ago, and started Rangeman with my three brothers. Unfortunately with what we did, the Army won't let us completely retire, so every once in awhile each of us gets the call where we have to go "in the wind" for an undetermined amount of time. Thankfully I haven't gotten that call recently. Once I was out of my immediate contract with the Army, I asked Rachel if I could get to know Julie, and thankfully she agreed. While Ron is "Dad", Julie knows that I am her biological father but she chooses to call me Ranger. She is the sweetest girl, and I'm so glad to have gotten closer to her these last few years.

I shook myself out of my deep thoughts and focused on the women in front of me. Stephanie was everything I was looking for in a partner. Gorgeous, witty, and full of life. I knew my men all adored her, I knew we had an intense chemistry , but could I drop my walls and let her in completely? Only time would tell on that. "I knocked on your apartment door Babe, but when you didn't answer I took the chance you might be visiting Kat." Steph slowly walked to the doorway , her eyes shining. "Looks like I was right. Ready for our date?" I held my arm out to her, which she took after giving Trouble a kiss on the cheek and reminding him to take care of Katherin, and we made our way to the elevator.

**Katherin's POV**

Steph looked beautiful in her deep blue dress, and for a second my heart tightened with jealousy, but it quickly disappeared. I wanted that, the feeling of getting ready for a first date, the anticipation of whether the guy would like what you were wearing… the flutters in your stomach at the end of the night when the whole "should we kiss??" question inevitably lingers in the air… I wanted that, but she came to check on me when she should have been freaking out about her date, and that made me feel loved.

The day had definitely been crazier than I ever thought possible. I set off wanting to spend some time with Steph and her friend, gossiping about guys and shopping, and I ended up having a major panic attack instead. It's been awhile since I had an episode, my most recent before this was the day Mark almost killed me. Thankfully Bobby and Trouble were both there, I don't know if I would have made it back to Haywood without them. I could feel my heart breaking in that little dressing room as they both tried to comfort me.

The text message. When we got back to Haywood, Trouble made sure I was tucked away in our new apartment before he told the men why the message affected me the way it did. I'm sure they think I'm crazy, my husband was killed in prison, everyone knows that. Except it had to be from him. No one else called me Kitty. Plus no one knew that **he** called me that, since it was his pet name for me in private. I don't know how he got out of prison, or why we had a funeral for a man who isn't dead, but for the last few months I thought I was finally safe. Now? Now I'm afraid he will finish what he started, and no one will be able to stop him.

I was laying on my bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark when I heard another knock at our front door followed by voices and the door shutting . I guessed Ranger had come to pick Steph up for their date and again I felt my heart tighten a bit, and felt a few tears to fall before I heard a soft knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

Trouble opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, the light from the other room backlighting him. I couldn't see his face but it didn't matter, I knew what was running through his head. "Katie, you've got to call Alexander. He needs to hear this from you. And then I'm ordering you to come watch a movie and relax. No one is getting inside this building, you're safe here." _Safe. What does that even mean? _Trouble went on to say "Apparently Mrs. Guzman, the housekeeper here , likes to cook. She's sending down some food for us, should be here any second." He was right, after he finished the sentence we heard a knock on the door and Trouble went off to answer it. I heard a female voice and decided I needed to get out of my head for awhile, so I forced myself to get up and walk out to the kitchen.

There I was met with the sight of a mountain of food on a rolling cart, and a woman in an apron placing dish after dish onto the counter. I must have made a noise because she turned to look at me with a big smile on her face. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble Mrs. Guzman, really-"

"Nonsense darling girl." She stepped away from the cart and pulled me into a warm embrace. I was shocked for a moment before I returned the hug. "I'm so sorry your having some trouble right now-" she pulled out of the embrace but kept her hands on my arms. "But I know these men, they're good people. They will do everything they can to help and protect you. And please, call me Ella." She gave me a kiss on both cheeks before she turned back around and started towards the door with her empty cart. "I wasn't sure what you would like, so I brought a little of everything. Whatever you don't eat just store in the fridge, or let me know and I can take it away." She pointed to a plate with a dome over it. "That's Tres Leches Cake for dessert. I've found out in the last few days that Stephanie likes her desserts, so I took the chance you do too. Enjoy dears." With that she took her cart back out in the hall and shut the door behind her.

Trouble and I looked at each other for a moment before he started pulling lids off dishes and checking out what she had brought us. "There's no way we can eat all this, it's enough to feed a small army!" He laughed and shrugged his shoulders at me.

"I don't know Katie, I'm a growing boy…" I rolled my eyes as he took down plates from the cupboard and started loading his with some of everything. I shook my head giggling and followed his lead, grabbing us bottles of water from the fridge before settling in at the dining room table. We ate in silence for a few minutes before he sat his fork down and looked at me. "Kat-"

Holding up my hand I stopped him. "I know you think I'm crazy, I'm sure the men here think that too. Please don't start in on me Ken, I can't explain it, but Mark is alive. I'm sure of it." Trouble shook his head but I kept going. "I know he was killed in prison, I know that we had a funeral for him, I know I watched the casket be lowered into the ground, but it couldn't have been him in there." I hung my head and felt Trouble as he got up from his seat and sat closer to me. "He's alive Ken. Which means he will be coming after me sooner rather than later."

**Bobby's POV**

After the emergency at the mall, Trouble made sure Kat was safe in her apartment before we held the meeting with the rest of Rangeman to go over the text message and its meaning. After that, Trouble and I spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting next to Kat, holding her hands and lending our shoulders for her to cry on. I was shocked when the words "my husband is still alive" came out of her mouth, but not as shocked to say them as I'm sure she was.

By the time we made it back to Haywood, Hector had already been hard at work on the message and where it was sent from. Unfortunately he found the phone number was blocked, so he was unable to trace it, but being the rough ex gang member he was, he put the word out to his contacts on Stark to pay attention to any rumblings they might hear regarding a not so dead mob kingpins son. If anyone would be able to track down the truth regarding a hit that didn't get fulfilled it would be him.

As I had sat on the couch in the apartment she and Trouble would be sharing for the foreseeable future, I felt helpless. I am a healer by nature, so every tear, every sob that she let out, broke my heart a little more.

I was jerked out of my thoughts from earlier by a knock on my door. Coming back to the present I got up to answer it, and found Lester standing there. "Hey Les, what's up?" I stepped aside and let him in.

"You believe this shit man?" Les stated as he walked in to my apartment attached to my medical suite and made himself at home on my couch. "Poor Doc, she's gotta be going out of her mind right now!" After we got back from the mall and Trouble had made sure Kat was comfortable in their apartment, we met with the rest of the Rangeman employees to explain the situation. After the men heard the history between Kat and her husband , every single one left the conference room determined to make the son of a bitch pay. They also offered their services for keeping an eye on her, but I was hoping she would let me have that distinction. I walked over to the fridge , grabbed two bottles of beer and sat down next to Les. After handing him a bottle and taking a long pull off mine, I finally spoke.

"Les, she's petrified. If it's true, that this guy actually is alive, we have got to keep her in the building. That's the only way she'll be safe." I didn't want to reveal just how much I cared for Katherin in the short time we had known each other, but Lester Santos is my best friend, and he knows when I'm holding back about something.

"You've got it bad, don't you?" I glanced his way and saw that shit eating grin across his face he liked to sport when he was feeling cocky. I chucked the bottle cap I was fidgeting with at him, which he of course avoided easily, all while keeping that grin plastered on his face. "It's okay to admit you've got a soft spot for her B, I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual."

I got up off the couch and started pacing. "I can't. Not now, not after what happened today." I took another long pull from my bottle, draining it before tossing it in the trash and grabbing another from the fridge. I resumed my pacing , pausing every so often to take a drink. "Les, she deserves to be happy and safe. I don't know all the details of what happened to her, but damn man… if you could have seen her today in that dressing room..." I took another drink from my bottle and rubbed my short, dark hair with my other hand. When I turned to face Les on the couch I was met with a sight I rarely see. Les wasn't smiling. In fact, you could have said he was scowling but I knew better, this was his rare serious face. I knew he was thinking the situation that had come up earlier. He downed his drink, getting up and tossing it into the trash before motioning for me to follow him. Confused I sat my bottle down and followed him out the door.

**A/N: After over a month of tinkering I decided to stop and publish it :). I hope you all enjoy, and I promise, more exciting things on the horizon! PS all errors are mine!**


	36. A Night to Remember Chapter 36

**A/N: Thank you for all the sweet words and reviews! I get down on myself a lot, wanting things to be perfect and in reality this is Fan Fic. Things don't have to be perfect, just enjoyable. I'm hoping the muse doesn't take a vacation like it did this past month, and I'll get chapters out faster, but who knows. Again, THANK YOU!!! **

Chapter 36

**Alexander's POV**

Pacing back and forth in front of my fireplace, my rage was threatening to take over. I had spoken to Katherin about 30 minutes prior, and the anger was still there, bubbling to the surface.

_Flashback_

_I was sitting in my study, strategizing over what to do about Anthony when the phone rang in the other room. A few seconds later Phoenix appeared. I barely looked up from the photos in front of me, figuring it was nothing important, but the look on his face made me do a double take. "It's Doc." He said grimly, his hand outstretched towards me. I took the phone from him, smiling as I answered._

_"Katie, darling, calling already? Is it that boring there?" I didn't get the typical banter back from her we enjoyed, instead I was met with a small sad voice I hadn't heard in quite awhile._

_"Alex, I got a text message today from a blocked number." She went on to explain what it said, and how the men at Rangeman attempted to track down the sender, but as of yet had not had any luck. I could feel my blood pressure rising the longer she talked, and being the professional she was, she caught on. "Alex, breathe for me." Always the doctor, concerned about my health, I made the conscious effort to lower my heart rate with the breathing exercises she had taught me._

_"I want you back here immediately Katherin. Where it's safe, and I can keep my men close to you." She declined, saying she was safe where she was, and reiterated that Trouble was already with her. We talked for a few minutes longer before she disconnected, her parting words ringing in my ear._

_"I love you Alexander."_

_End flashback _

She was saying goodbye, resigned to the fact her dead husband was in fact very much alive, and that he was after her. When she made mention of the name used towards her my heart dropped Immediately. Kitty. While it seemed playful and fun, it was anything but. Mark called her that, and as far as I ever knew, was the only one to use that label for her. I could hear her voice hitch when she got to that part of the story, and I was transported back to the day we met.

_Flashback_

_Driving along the tree lined highway in my convertible, I took a deep breath in, the scent of pine filling my nostrils and giving me a sense of peace. I was in such a zone I almost missed the woman walking along the side of the road. It was dusk, and if I hadn't been paying attention I could have very well hit her. She was weaving back and forth along the edge of the road, which made me wonder if she had been drinking. I pulled up along side her, and called out, but she ignored me. I pulled up ahead of her, parking my car and getting out before she ran into it. "Miss, you okay?"_

_Normally a man of my age and repute wouldn't stop along the deserted highway in fear of being ambushed by my enemies, but something called out to me, causing my father sense to kick in. This woman needed help, and I was going to give it to her. I put my hands on her arms to stop her from walking straight into the back of my car. She flinched , but didn't pull away. Instead she looked at me, eyes filled with unshed tears. I felt a pull to her, unlike one I had felt before. "My name is Alexander. Are you in trouble?" She shook her head but I could tell she had been through something overwhelming. After steering her to my car gently and buckling her in, I took off towards my compound._

_When we arrived my men were waiting for me. I could see their frustrated faces, I had taken off without them and they were annoyed, but I'm a grown man and don't need a babysitter all the time! Their faces softened when they saw the girl sitting in my passenger seat. "Boss?" My men, Trouble and Phoenix, both looked as confused as I felt. I waved them back, circling the vehicle and opening the door for her. She stared at me for a moment, and I was taken back by the color of her eyes. They were a bright blue, like the ocean. I could see the pain in them, but there was a spark of something else… this woman was strong. Once we got inside I was able to take a good look at her, and found myself getting more and more angry. Bruises covered her arms, which explained why she flinched when I touched her. Her clothes were ripped, but she wasn't indecent. Trouble grabbed a blanket and gently wrapped it around her shoulders, which must have been the straw that broke the camel's back. As soon as he completed the gesture the tears started to roll down her cheeks. I have no women employees, and never had daughters so I felt very out of my element, but the three of us sat in silence while she let her tears pour. Soon all we heard was a stray sniffle, or a hiccup here and there._

_I didn't push, but perched myself on the coffee table across from her and held out my hand. "I'm Alexander Ramos sweetheart, and this is my home. You're safe here." Those words began our conversation, of who she was, and what had happened to her._

_End flashback _

I threw the glass in my hand into the fireplace, shattering it and causing Phoenix to stick his head through the doorway of my study from his spot outside. "Everything okay Boss?" I motioned for him to join me, then went over my phone conversation with Katherin. Even with his dark skin tone I could see the blood rushing to his face, and saw him start to clench and unclench his fists.

"Ken will remain with Katherin. I want to talk to our friend inside, find out what happened. I want answers Phoenix, this man should be rotting 6 feet under, not tormenting Katie." He nodded once before standing and exiting the room.

We had a fool proof plan, a man on the inside who swore he killed Mark. What went wrong?

**Lester's POV **

I couldn't handle sitting in that apartment anymore. Bobby was tied up in knots over the situation with Katherin, and I knew he wouldn't settle down until he saw her, so I did what any best friend would do. I climbed the stairs to the 4th floor and knocked on her door, with Bobby trailing behind me. "What the hell are you doing Les?? She doesn't want to be disturbed, we should leave her alone." I threw a glare over my shoulder at him as the door opened and there she stood. Her eyes were red rimmed so I knew she had been crying, but she had a smile on her face, and her cheeks flushed when she saw Bobby behind me.

"Hey Lester, Bobby. You're just in time!" She stepped back and motioned for us to come inside, so we did and were met with a combination of delicious smells. "Ella cooked enough for a small Army, and there is no way I want this to go to waste. Please come in and eat!" She padded her way into the kitchen and brought down two more plates, handing them to us before leaning into the fridge. The fact her ass was in perfect view didn't escape either Bobby or myself, as I could hear him make a noise as she bent over. "We have water, or some kind of beer. Don't ask me about it though, that one was all him." She jerked her head towards Trouble who waved at us from his spot at the dining room table .

Clearing my throat "I'll take water please." I told Kat and sat down in an empty spot at their dining room table, leaving Bobby with Kat in the kitchen. As soon as I sat down I leaned over to Trouble and in hushed tones asked him how she was holding up.

"Kat is a survivor. She will be fine." He stated matter of factly, before I saw him straighten up, his eyes watching her. I turned and saw Bobby and Kat standing awfully close to each other, Kat's face flushed and a wide smile on Bobby's. Kat was giggling and rolling her eyes at him, while he kept on grinning like a Cheshire cat. I turned back towards Trouble and smiled at him.

"Bobby needed to be around her, hope you don't mind the interruption. He was going crazy downstairs." Trouble shook his head , eyes still focused on the two of them laughing in the kitchen.

"We were gonna watch a movie, you guys are welcome to stay." He tore his gaze away from the two of them long enough to meet my eyes. "I'm glad he's here for her. She deserves to be happy." I was going to ask him to expand on the comment but he went back to shoveling Ella's pasta primavera into his mouth so I made myself a plate and did the same thing.

**Stephanie's POV **

_Could this night get any better??_ It started with Ranger, or Carlos as he reminded me, taking me to this amazing Cuban restaurant in Newark. He was from that area, and said he has been to it many times before, and I should trust him, so I did. He ordered our complete meal for us, and I moaned my way through 3 dishes before finally holding up my hands and admitting defeat. "I can't put another thing in my mouth, I'll explode!" The comment was meant to be innocent, but the temperature shot up 30 degrees when I locked eyes with Carlos. They were completely black, the corners of his mouth upturned just a bit , so I knew he was smiling.

"Is that so Babe? They have a flan here that is to die for, sure you don't want to try?" Ohhh, the man isn't playing fair. Even in our short time knowing each other, I was acutely aware of Ranger's "My body is a temple" philosophy, and he knew my need for sugar. I don't want to be rude and turn down dessert… I didn't even get a chance to answer before a plate was sitting in front of Carlos, and he had a spoon full of caramel deliciousness in front of my face. "Taste it… you won't be sorry ." I opened my mouth and wrapped my lips around the spoon, taste buds dancing when the caramel hit my tongue. I must have made a noise because Carlos scooted closer to me, his free hand on my thigh. "You like?" I nodded, my eyes wide as he dropped the spoon and swiped his index finger through the dessert, before offering it to me.

I have no idea what came over me at that moment… maybe a combination of the alcohol we had consumed, and the fact I had wanted to jump this mans bones the second I met him… but I surprised both of us by taking his hand in both of mine , moving it towards my mouth. I pulled his finger in, sucking slightly. Running my tongue up and down the length, making sure I got every drop of tempting dessert before releasing him. We shared a glance and I didn't need ESP to read his mind. What he was thinking was written all over his face, plus the bulge in his pants didn't hurt. He wasted no time in grabbing my hand and threw down a couple of hundreds on the table before we practically flew out the front door to the parking lot. I had little chance to steady myself before he descended on me, his mouth on mine, hands roaming over my back to my hips so he could pull me closer. I didn't think, leaning into the kiss, my hands fisted into his shirt. We broke apart when we heard a throat clear next to us. Realizing the valet had just witnessed our little grope fest I felt my face flame, but Carlos wasn't deterred. He nodded to the valet before opening the passenger door for me, then running around and getting in the drivers seat.

We made it back to Haywood in record time from Newark, Carlos let the Porsche fly on the highway and I swear he did it just to make me moan again. The combination of the events from tonight and the alcohol I had consumed was making me light headed. When Carlos pulled into the garage, I saw him point his fob at the cameras before coming around to open my door. He helped me get out, then leaned in close to me. "I want you Stephanie, I would love nothing more than to take you straight to the penthouse and make love to you all night long…"

"But?" I could feel the tears start to build.

"But I don't want you to feel used." _Wait, what?? _"I want to be in a relationship with you, and that's a huge thing for me. Normally I don't do relationships, not in my nature. But you, you're different. I want this to be…. Perfect." _Okay, so the hot muscle man wants to actually date me?? Pinch yourself Steph… Ow!_

"Did you just pinch yourself Babe?" Carlos grabbed my arm, turning it over and placing a soft kiss on the already red skin.

Groaning I commented "Yes, I can't believe this is real right now. Ranger I -" I stopped when I heard him growl softly. Realizing he was growling at the name I called him, I tried again. "Carlos. Please know that I appreciate you wanting to take this slow, and for us to date. It means the world to me that you're thinking of me, trying to put my needs above yours. But here's the thing-" I stood up on my toes and leaned in close, whispering in his ear. "I want to fuck you, hard."

**A/N2: I spent most of the day today (9/5) in the ER with chest pains. Turns out it was anxiety. My life is one massive ball of stress. So I might be taking a time out from my story for a bit. ** **Hope you enjoyed this tidbit! **


	37. A Night to Remember Chapter 37

**A/N: I want to thank you for the kind words and thoughts. I really appreciate them. I have a lot of decisions to make, but in the meantime here is some well deserved and requested SMUT! (I know Whaaaat??) Oh yeah, this chapter earns the M rating ;)**

Chapter 37

**Stephanie's POV**

_Previously:__I stood up on my toes and leaned in close, whispering in his ear. "I want to fuck you, hard."_

That caused what little self control he had left to snap. Before I knew it my legs were wrapped around his waist, his mouth devouring mine, my hands in a death grip on his shoulders. How he walked to the elevator without being able to see is beyond me, but we made it there and then to the penthouse without breaking our embrace. When we got to his door I unwrapped my legs from his waist, sliding down his hard (and I do mean HARD) body. My fingers tangled in his hair, his hands on my ass. "Babe, I want this to be perfect for you. Are you sure this is what you want?"

I took my tongue, tracing it around the shell of his ear as I whispered "More than anything." I could hear the growl low in his chest as he quickly unlocked the door and we made our way inside. The moment we stepped inside I started to doubt myself. Ranger knew immediately, he took my hand after locking the front door and led me straight to the couch.

"Let's sit, talk for a bit." I shook my head and asked to use his bathroom, which he pointed to and sat back down on the couch to wait for me. I had seen the bathroom the other day when he gave me the tour of his apartment, but tonight it seemed… more grand. I stood in front of the large mirror above the gorgeous black granite vanity, and stared at myself in the mirror, giving myself an internal pep talk.

_You can do this Stephanie. The man radiates sex, and for some reason he seems to like you. So take the leap and do this! _

_But what if things go bad? Then you can't work here anymore. Do you want to chance that?_ That was my good and bad Stephanie's talking to me. Yeah, I have an angel/devil situation going on , doesn't everyone??

I decided to go with "Bad Stephanie" and take the leap. Undoing my dress, I let it slip from my body, pooling at my feet. I stepped out of it, picking it up and laying it over the chair that was sitting in the corner of the bathroom so it wouldn't get wrinkled. I took a look at myself in the mirror clad only in my finds from Victoria Secrets, and decided if I was doing this I was REALLY doing this! I fluffed my hair, grabbed my mascara out of my bag and coated my lashes a few more times which upped my bravado by 10. I left my bag on the counter, glancing at my reflection one last time in the mirror before opening the bathroom door. My eyes caught sight of Ranger lounging on his bed and I jumped. "Jesus Ranger! Give a girl a heads up or something!" I could see his face light up for a moment before his eyes turned dark as they ran over me.

"Babe." He got up and slowly stalked my way, like a lion who had found his dinner. "You Babe, are gorgeous." I could feel the warmth spread over my body but I didn't back down. I moved closer to him as he approached, my hands running over his broad chest.

"Too many clothes Batman…" I whispered and deftly unbuttoned his shirt, while one hand of his was in my curls, the other was running up and down my back, causing me to shiver. I made quick work of his shirt, and then started to undo his pants when he captured my hands in his.

"I want to go slow, and if you keep touching me it'll end way too soon… please Babe… let me love you." He led me over to the bed, and before I knew it my bra and panties had disappeared (he was a Wizard!) and Ranger's eyes turned darker than coal. A growl emerged from deep on his throat, before he gently laid me down on his massive bed. He quickly divested himself of his pants, and I licked my lips seeing his massive cock in front of me. I reached for him, wanting a taste but he avoided my hands. "Keep your hands above your head Babe…" _He doesn't want me touching him… how can I do that when ALL I want to do is run my ton-_

My inner monologue was interrupted when I felt him start nipping at my skin. First my throat, then my collar bone… he made it to my nipples, which had been hard as diamonds from the moment I laid eyes on him tonight. I felt his tongue circle my left, then right nipple, his hot mouth running over them in turn. I felt the orgasm start low in my belly _Jesus if he can make me feel like this with just his mouth…_ again I was interrupted by his mouth moving lower, this time he stalled at my midsection, French kissing my navel and biting the sensitive skin at my hip bones before moving lower. He didn't go to the spot I wanted him to so badly touch, no he skipped it completely and instead moved to my inner thighs, down my legs dropping kisses all the way down to my ankles, before situating himself in between my legs. I heard a moan and was startled it came from me as he leaned in, kissing my mound before flicking his tongue across my clit. I arched my hips upward, begging for more. Ranger held me down with one arm across my hips as he chuckled. "I take it you like that Babe?" I raised up and gave him a glare that would have sent the Pope running in the other direction, but it didn't phase Ranger. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he lowered his head again, this time sucking my clit into his mouth and biting down gently. Rolling my eyes back in my head I swore I saw stars from that action alone , but then I felt a finger tip circling my lips, before entering my dripping pussy. "Dios Mio Babe, you're soaked… and so tight, God you're like a vice." He curled his finger slightly and I could feel the orgasm about to hit. When he added another finger and started to massage my clit with his thumb I lost it. I screamed his name as he lapped up the juices that were running from me, making the orgasm go on and on.

I felt the bed move as he made his way back up my body. As I opened my eyes I was met with the most erotic sight I had ever seen, Ranger licking and sucking his fingers that he had just fucked me with, making sure he didn't miss a drop. "God you taste like heaven Babe…" He lowered his lips down to mine, and I could taste myself on his tongue. It made me feel empowered, sexy even. I could feel his large cock at my entrance, but he hovered there until I pushed my hips up to meet him. "Impatient Querida… first, do I need anything?"

_Shit!_ I was so punch drunk on the possibility of sex that I completely forgot about birth control. "Carlos I'm so sorry. I haven't been … I didn't think to…" I could feel my face flush, and figured I had better go get dressed, that was if my legs would hold me after that. Instead I heard a growl that made me look up.

"See Doc tomorrow." Was all he said before leaning over and taking a condom out of the bedside table. Sitting back on his heels he expertly rolled the condom on, then hovered over me again. The waiting was too much, I was panting with need. I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him closer, causing him to moan as he entered me swiftly. _Oh God… _

I felt him tense , trying to hold back. I quickly flipped us over to where he was laying on his back and I straddling him. The maneuver caught him off guard, exactly what I wanted to do. I lowered myself onto his cock, and we both groaned. "God Babe… you're so tight, it feels so good…" I started to move, up and down, riding him slowly. In this position he was deep, and I could feel him hitting my gspot over and over again. It wasn't enough.

"Carlos, I need… more… I need…" _God I need to come, it's been too long! _ I was panting, not able to get my words out but since Batman has ESP, he knew what I was trying to say. He gripped my hips, sliding me up and then slamming me back down onto his cock. "Oh God yes!" That's what I needed, hard and fast. He did it again, but I needed it faster. In a blink I was on my back with my legs over his shoulders, and Carlos was pounding in to me exactly as I wanted. One hand was twisting my nipple, the other reached down between us and pinched my clit. I exploded, screaming his name and he followed right after, roaring mine.

**Ranger's POV**

_This woman is my soulmate._ I have never been one of those hearts and flowers types, a romantic individual. Most of my sexual experiences have been anonymous, in a seedy bar or alley way behind said bar. The only woman I ever has real feelings for was Rachel, and it was more out of duty than anything else. But Stephanie? This experience blew all my others out of the water. We knew exactly what each other needed. I had so badly wanted to take it slow for our first time, but after hearing her confession I couldn't do it. I don't think she meant to say out loud that it had been a long time since her last orgasm, but she wont ever have to worry about that again for as long as I'm around. As we lay next to each other getting our breathing back to regular, she rolled on her side and laid a hand on my stomach, taking a finger and absentmindedly tracing my abdominal muscles. I could sense the turmoil she was going through internally, even though she was trying desperately not to show it. I rolled on my side facing her and kissed her forehead, then her mouth gently. "Babe whatever you're wrestling with, tell me."

"Carlos, what does this mean?" _Shit._

I was well on my way to falling in love with this woman, and I wasn't about to lose her with my typical macho talk. "It means whatever you want it to mean Babe. I'm not one for relationships, my life has never lent itself for them." I stared into her deep blue eyes, and knew I needed her with me, always. "I would like things to be different with us." She propped herself up on one elbow and looked at me, her nose wrinkled. I couldn't help it, I chuckled and moved to kiss it before tucking her into my side. "I want to date you Steph. Like a proper relationship. I know we have chemistry, we've already found that out. But I want more than just sex with you. I'm hoping you want that too." Her quietness made me rethink what I thought we both wanted until she sighed, moving to look down at me again.

"I do Carlos. I want that so much… what about the guys? Are they going to treat me differently now that we're together? And you know I spend time with Joe, will you be okay with that?" I quickly reassured her the men wouldn't change their tunes with her, they all adored her. As a guy, I wouldn't love seeing my girl being affectionate with other men, but since I knew my employees truly cared about her, and would never hurt her, I would deal with it.

As for her best friend, I told her I understood. Do I love how close they are ? No way. But they've known each other since childhood, that would be a fight I could never win so I wasn't going to attempt it.

We snuggled (don't tell my men, I'll never hear the end of it) for awhile, and I quickly fell asleep with a smile plastered on my face.

**Phoenix's POV**

Mr. Ramos was livid, and I didn't blame him. Kat is like his daughter, and he was told the threat to her was nonexistent. Come to find out our "inside man" was playing us. Mark Sizemore had indeed been stabbed, but it wasn't fatal as we were originally told. The guard he had paid off smuggled him out of the prison, and they put another inmate in his place. It was a closed casket service , so none of us were the wiser. Now I get the pleasure of finding the fucker before he re appears.

Mr. Ramos is a pretty good boss. Sure, he can be a bit wild sometimes, and not take his security seriously, but he always apologizes after. This threat to the Doc has him rattled. She has no idea that Alex was the one that had Mark "killed". She would flip, but he was trying to protect her.

Alex was out driving alone one night , probably trying to get cigarettes since Trouble and I refused to get them for him, when he almost hit Kat as she was walking along the side of the road. He brought her back to the house and she looked so tiny and pale, she barely moved or talked. It took a few hours for the boss to get her story out of her, but eventually she spilled everything. I was in charge of taking her to the cops so she could file her police report, which is the reason Sweetness (Steph) got Mark as a FTA. Too bad we didn't know that at the time, we could have done some damage control for her before this whole situation got out of hand. I was packing when my cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Phoenix, it's Trouble. Have any updates?" I went through what we knew, and I could feel the tension radiating from him through the phone. We didn't speak long, just catching each other up on what we knew before hanging up. See, the thing is, my partner is in love with the Doc. He couldn't help it, she's been amazing to us, well all the staff really. She was even nice to Alexander's son Hannibal when he would visit. Homer though, she saw through him immediately. I'm glad the fucker is dead, but I really wish I could have been the one to kill him. Would make things a little more enjoyable around here. Once she started opening up and talking, we found out all sorts of stuff about her.

As bodyguards we aren't really supposed to get friendly with our clients, but we all were more like family instead of employer/ employees. And I saw how Trouble looked at Kat the first time she joked around with us. He had a dopey smile on his face as she touched his arm, and I knew then and there he was done for.

When Steph came to stay it was like they were long lost sisters. There was one night they got drunk on Alexander's good booze, and made Trouble go get them candy bars. I gave him such shit for that.

I saw Trouble's face when Alex said he wanted him to stay with Kat at Rangeman. I think he was half nervous half excited. Although he has some competition with that Medic guy of theirs, I saw the Docs face turn red when they were talking. She isn't one to embarrass easily so if she turned that tomato red while talking to him, it means she likes him. Maybe this is just what she needs, to keep her mind off her not so dead husband.

I finished packing my bag and made my way back downstairs to let Alex know I was set to go. _Time to go hunting!_**A/N2: I wanted to thank all of you for your sweet words and well wishes. I'll be okay, it is just going to take some time. Hopefully the smut was up to par for y'all ;) **


	38. A Night to Remember Chapter 38

**A/N: Thank you again for all the well wishes! I am trying to get back to work this week, so we shall see how that goes. Lots of changes are about to happen, and I'm hoping I can continue to post at a decent rate. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter :)! **

Chapter 38

**Katherin's POV**

The evening went great. Bobby and Lester joined Ken and myself for dinner and a movie, and I got to know more about Rangeman and it's employees, pushing the whole Mark business to the back of my mind. It was perfect, until I woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Surprisingly I had not one, but three men rush into my bedroom to check on me! I must have fallen asleep during the movie, and was put to bed by one ( or all) of the guys. In my heart of hearts I know this building is safe, but I also know my husband. He won't let a little thing like guards stop him from coming to get me.

I did my stretches as I woke up, making sure to get warmed up for my day. I slipped out from under the covers, grabbed my robe and put it on. I opened the bedroom door to be hit by a wave of amazing smells. I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped when I recognized my favorite breakfast aroma, French toast and bacon. I padded out to the kitchen to find a shirtless Bobby Brown by the stove . I'm pretty sure another moan escaped me when I took in the sight, because he turned around and grinned at me. "Hey Kat, how are you feeling this morning?" He held out a cup of coffee and I thanked him with a kiss on the cheek before taking the cup and sitting at the island.

"I'm okay, thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble last night, I haven't had a nightmare in awhile…"

"No trouble at all. Thanks for letting us crash your night." I took a sip of coffee and closed my eyes, it was the perfect combination of caffeine and creamer, and tasted like heaven.

"Where's Ken?" I asked when I opened my eyes again, and found a plate sitting in front of me, and Bobby grinning at me. I smiled back, setting my cup down and grabbing the fork from his outstretched fingers before taking a bite.

"He and Les went down to the gym a bit ago. I told him I would stay here, so you wouldn't wake up alone." The blush hit his cheeks as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You guys were here all night ? Where did you sleep?" I looked around and saw the couch had a pillow and blanket folded up neatly on it, but it definitely wasn't big enough for three grown guys to sleep on. When I turned around and caught his eye again he looked a bit guilty.

"After your nightmare, Trouble asked if I would stay. He and Les went over to his apartment, which has 2 bedrooms. So I stayed on the couch here." _What?? My bodyguard left me?_ "I know you probably think that's weird, he didn't want to leave to be honest but since I'm more equipped to handle night terrors, he thought it would be best if I was here. After you settled back down I watched for awhile, made sure you weren't getting agitated again before I laid down." He had his hand running over the back of his neck, a nervous trait I've noticed some of the men have. "I'll be happy to leave you alone if you want, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He grabbed the shirt that was balled up on the counter and put it back on, then moved to the couch to get his boots back on before I snapped out of my daze and stopped him.

"No! You don't have to leave Bobby, I was just surprised Ken wasn't here. But I get it, and I really appreciate you staying here last night." I motioned to the stove "There is plenty of breakfast, stay with me? You should be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor." He grinned and nodded, grabbing himself a plate and loading it with French toast and bacon before sitting next to me at the island. I took a bite and sighed, hearing him chuckle . "This is my favorite dish, how did you know?"

"Just coincidence I guess, it happens to be my favorite too." He took a bite and we continued to eat in companionable silence. Once we were finished, and the dishes were loaded in the dishwasher he went ahead and put his boots on. "I'll get out of your hair now. Meeting on 5 in an hour, and then we can start going over the men's medical files in my office on 3." I nodded, getting up and walking him to the door.

"Thank you again Bobby, it means a lot you stayed here last night for me." He opened the door, but paused before walking out.

"It was my pleasure Kat." He leaned down, kissing my cheek before making his way out and down the hall. I was glad he couldn't see the red staining my face. I smiled to myself, closing and locking the door before heading to the shower.

**Lester's POV**

I should have seen it sooner, being a trained Ranger I should have been more aware of my surroundings, but it wasn't until Trouble and I were facing each other on the mats and talking about the Doc's situation that I finally understood the look in his eye. _Holy shit, he is in love with Kat! _ We danced around each other a bit before he made a move at me, which I immediately blocked. "So, how long have you known the Doc?" And there it was… the same far off look I've seen Beautiful get when she either A. Sees a Boston Crème in front of her or B. Sees my damn cousin. Neither was how she looked at me, but I was getting over that. That's when it hit me how Trouble felt about the Doc. Now I just need him to open up… Beautiful would totally be loving this if she was here!

Trouble realized he was staring off into space a second too late, I flipped him on his back and heard the other men in the gym snicker. Standing over him, I reached my hand out to help him up and he swatted it away before flipping himself to a standing position in one move. I had to hand it to the man, he had skills. "Katherin is off limits Les." He bull rushed me and knocked me flat on my back, a rush of air expelling as I landed. I laid there, dazed for a moment before I saw him offering his hand to me like I had just done for him. I didn't follow his example, I grabbed his hand and he pulled me to a standing position. "You okay? Want me to call Brown?" I shook my head, knowing we had left Bobby in Kat's apartment so they could be alone for a bit, and not wanting to disturb them.

"I'm fine." I waved him off , stepping out of the ring and grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge. I tossed one at him before cracking mine open and guzzling half of it. "I wasn't trying to be a gossip dude." _Who was I kidding, of course I was! _ I sat down on the bench outside the "ring", as he stood in front of me.

"Sorry Les, it's instinctual. Alex has us programmed to avoid conversations about Kat at all costs. He is extremely protective of her, and it's trickled down to all of his staff." He plopped down on the floor in front of me and started stretching as he talked. "Kat came into our lives a couple years ago. Alex found her wandering along the road the night her husband almost killed her." His eyes, which were normally almost an ice blue, turned very dark as he remembered that evening. "She was scared for so long… every yell, every loud sound caused her to go into a panic attack. When SP came and stayed with us, she finally started to relax a bit. I think it helped having a woman around, Alex doesn't employ females." _Sounds familiar_! "So her and SP bonded together pretty quickly. Steph didn't stay with us long, but the impact she had on Kat…" I could see it in his face, that he may flirt with Beautiful, but he was in love with the Doc.

"Have you told her how you feel?" I couldn't help it, I had to ask. He shook his head, sucked down the bottle of water he was holding and jumped up quickly, looking towards the door. I hadn't felt the change in atmosphere, but apparently he had. Craning my neck I saw the Doc walk in, hair pulled tight off her face, dressed in a sports bra and very short shorts. I turned around fast enough to catch the look on Trouble's face before he dropped it and went blank. _Damn, he's a natural Rangeman._ Jumping up I did what I do best, I flirted. "Heya Doc! Did you have a nice breakfast?"

Her grin could have lit up NYC. "Hey Les! Yes, it was fantastic! The only problem is now I have to work it off." She gave me a wink and waved at Trouble before heading to the treadmill and starting her run. I watched that fantastic ass of hers for longer than I should have, until a hand slapped me on the back of my head lightly, and I heard a familiar giggle.

"Lester Alejandro Santos, what do you think you're doing?" I turned around wide eyed as I caught sight of Steph trying hard not to full out laugh.

"Not fair Beautiful! How did you find out my middle name?" I slung my arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight, kissing her temple before letting go.

"I have my sources." She said with a smile. "You realize that Bobby would kill you if he saw you staring at her. Even if she does have a fantastic ass." That comment made me choke on the water I was in the middle of attempting to swallow, and she couldn't keep the laughter in.

"Well" I began, after having a brief coughing fit "I can't help it if I enjoy a good female form. Bobby would understand my predicament… I mean… look at her!" We both turned back towards the treadmill and saw that Kat had finished her run, and moved to stretching on the mats.

"Well try and tear your eyes away. By the way, your cousin wants to see you in his office in 5." Blowing a kiss at me she sashayed away towards Kat, causing my eyes to immediately be drawn to her posterior. _Damn it Santos, you could have had her!_ I wasn't blind, I saw several visible marks on Steph's neck and collarbone areas, which were basically a beacon warning everyone that she was officially Ranger's girl. Sighing I waved to Trouble, and headed up to see what Ranger wanted.

**Stephanie's POV **

It was fun messing with Les, he is a bit of a horn dog (okay a LOT of one) so when I caught him staring at Kat I knew I had to mess with him. I needed him out of the gym, so I could talk to Kat one on one and not feel weird. Seeing her doing her stretches I plopped down next to her and met her gaze with a smile. "Stephie! How was the date?" I felt my cheeks flush instantly as I thought back to how Ranger and I spent the evening, and apparently I was silent too long, I heard her chuckle as she grabbed my chin and rotated my face away from hers. "Never mind, I can see for myself." I swatted her hand away and moved in front of her, where my feet were touching hers and we could stretch each other out.

"I needed to ask you…" I started, grabbing her hands and gently pulling her towards me, then she did the same back. It was felt heavenly on the thigh muscles, and mine were sore from the previous nights activities. "I haven't needed it for so long, because my sex life was non existent before, but I need to get birth control." I was not aware of my surroundings because at the mention of birth control there was a mass exodus from the gym, and it was just me and Kat on the floor.

She laughed at the guys reactions, and smiled at me. "I can give you the shot, a patch, or a pill. Which will work best for you?" I debated the options, ultimately choosing the 3 month shot. "I can grab some stash from my supplier later for you. Just remember, it isn't truly effective right away, so if you two plan on going at it like rabbits I would suggest a back up for now." Kat was back. I was so glad, the zombie version that had graced us with their presence the last 24 hours scared the living shit out of me. "So, tell me Stephie, is he how I imagine he is?" She grinned and winked at me. I decided to turn the tables on her and avoid the question all together.

"How was your night? Anything interesting happen?" Her face fell and I immediately felt bad. "God Kat I'm sorry, I was just…" She held up a hand as if to say forget it.

"You couldn't have known, it's fine. I had a nightmare, a pretty bad one. Bobby stayed the night to make sure I was okay." _Wait, what??_ "Ken and Les went to his apartment, and Bobby stayed on the couch. I woke up to an amazing breakfast, and a very handsome cook making it for me." Her face lightened a bit as she got lost in her thoughts for a second before coming back to the present. "Anyway, I plan on staying inside the building today, going through the men's charts, and starting to set everything up. What's your plan?"

_Good question. _ I wanted to stay on 7, wrapped up in Rangers arms and not leave til I was exhausted and famished. "I actually need to hit the Bond office, check in with my cousin. Make sure the place hasn't fallen to pieces. I also owe a visit to Joe and Eddie." I need to a really good plan to get back at them with for talking about my history.

"By the look on your face I sense you have a plan brewing." Kat grinned at me. "I can't wait to see how that unfolds." She jumped up and I followed suit. "Bobby said there was a meeting soon, so I'm going to go change. I'll see you there?" I nodded at her, and went to move towards the treadmill when she wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed.

"Woah Kit-Kat, you okay?"

"Thank you for being the one to bring me here Steph." She kissed my unbruised cheek, the color muted due to foundation, before letting me go. "I appreciate this, and you, more than I'll ever be able to relay." _Awww_. I hugged her back tightly, and we parted ways. Watching her walk out of the gym, I saw Trouble over by the weight benches alone so I made my way over to him.

"Need a spot tough guy?" He broke out into a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Thanks SP. She tell you what happened last night ?" I nodded.

"Yeah, about her nightmare. And you let Bobby stay with her? That's awfully big of you Trouble, since you're in love with her yourself." The bar came dangerously close to falling on to his chest before he righted it and set it back where it belonged.

"Fuck, does EVERYONE know how I feel about her?? I thought I was doing a pretty good job of hiding it." He sat up , scrubbing both hands over his face before meeting my eyes. "How?"

"I'm an observer Trouble, you know that about me. You were walking around the apartment with no shirt on last night, you guys are obviously comfortable with each other. Does she know?" He shook his head rapidly indicating she didn't. "Well don't wait too long to tell her how you feel, Bobby is becoming awfully attached."

"He's a better man for her Steph." I started to argue with him, but the alarm on my watch sounded letting me know it was time to get ready for the meeting.

"Shit, we will pick this up later, you got me?" I shook a finger at him and he laughed, nodding. Together we walked out of the gym and to the 5th floor.

**Ranger's POV **

I sat at the head of the table, glancing around the room at my men. I was proud of my company, of my workers. If anyone would be able to ferret out where Mark was hiding, it would be these gentlemen. Silence fell over the room as Doc arrived. Every single man that was sitting around the table jumped up to offer her their seat, and she smiled politely at each of them before taking Bobby's seat, while he moved to stand behind her as her surrogate bodyguard. Steph and Trouble walked in a moment later, still dressed in workout clothes. I pointed to the empty seat on my right, and she grinned at me as she sat. Trouble kept his distance, choosing to remain by the door. I stood and the room became silent.

"Gentlemen, we have a few things to go over today. One, we have a high bond that time is running out on." I motioned to Hector, who pulled the info up on his laptop and broadcast it on the white wall at the other end of the room. "Meet Clint Collins. He is an attorney wanted for drug possession and money laundering. We have run through all the typical places he could be hiding out. His partners aren't talking, and we need a plan of attack." I saw Steph's eyes light up as she motioned for Trouble to come closer. Whatever she was requesting of him he agreed to, and slipped out the door. "This bond is worth half a million for Rangeman, so I want all available eyes searching for him."

All my men are large, with the exception of Hector. He makes up for his lack of size with his pure fear factor. I quickly called out two of my larger guys. "Cal, Vince, check his work again." Cal could scare anyone without opening his mouth, the fact he was thick and had a flaming skull tattoo on his forehead usually put the fear of God into whoever he was trying to talk to. Vince is Italian, with eyes like cool steel and a demeanor like a bull dog. "I don't care how you do it, scare the partners at the law firm into giving us something." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Trouble slip back in the room and hand Steph a laptop. She wasted no time opening it and started typing away. I continued "Woody, you and Hal check into his contacts. Does he have a girlfriend hiding somewhere ? He didn't disappear off the face of the earth, he is here."

I heard Steph clear her throat and fought to not smile as she timidly raised her hand, as if she was waiting for the teacher to call on her. "Babe, something to add?" She nodded and slid her computer down to Hector, who made it to where hers was broadcasting for us to see.

"I recognized the face, not the name. His real name isn't Clint Collins. I went to school with him, his name is Brandon Jones. I don't know why the change of name, but if I were to guess, it probably has something to do with the statutory rape charge against him." She got up, pulled the chair out and plopped down in Hectors lap, ignoring him and began typing again on the laptop. "Brandon was a senior and his girlfriend was a sophomore, Lilly Clark. They were the perfect couple, all cute with their hand holding and flirty faces in the halls." Her nose crinkled as she acted disgusted at the memory and several of the men chuckled. "That was until Lilly's dad caught them together one night. See, Mr. Clark was a minister, and VERY against his daughter even going out with Brandon. After he found them in the… compromising position, he threatened Brandon with jail time if he didn't leave Lilly alone."

"How do you know all of this Beautiful?" Lester asked what the rest of us where thinking .

She shrugged. "I come from the 'Burg. It's a tightknit community, and they gossip better than most celebrity bloggers do. It was a scandal when it happened. Lilly got sent off to a nunnery or something after that, and Brandon was never heard from again. I don't even know if he graduated." She leaned forward again to type and I caught Hectors gaze. He had a panicked look in his eyes, which was rather amusing as opposed to the stone cold expression he usually wore. I shook my head slightly, letting him know it was fine, before Steph started back up again. "Nope, he dropped out of our high school with only a few months til graduation! Which means he either got a GED later on, or he isn't a valid attorney. How many cases has he tried? That could result in quite a few retrials…" She leaned back and laid her head against Hector's shoulder, completely unaware of what pain she was inflicting on him.

I motioned for her to come sit back down, and her eyes widened with the realization of what she had done. "Oh my God I'm so sorry Hector!" Jumping up she grabbed her laptop and came back to her original seat, red staining her cheeks. "Good going Steph." She muttered it out loud but softly enough only I heard it. Laying my hand over hers on the table I gave it a squeeze before continuing.

"Let's concentrate our searches on his original name as well as the alias. Babe, will you print out everything for them after the meeting?" She nodded. "Next up-" I paused , my eyes darted to Katherin before I continued. "Mark Sizemore."

**Katherin's POV **

I could feel my throat constrict as Ranger said his name. Bobby must have recognized the signs of my impending panic attack, because he pulled my chair out, knelt down in front of me and whispered something I didn't understand until my breathing got back to normal. When I was able to breathe again I turned back towards the room and apologized. "Guys, I'm sorry." The men all made reassuring noises and comments, but I knew in my heart I HAD to get over my gut reaction of hearing his name. The only way to do that was to spell out every horrible moment of that night, to the men that were doing everything they could to protect me. "If I don't do this now, things will just get worse." Taking a deep breath, I began my story.


	39. A Night to Remember Chapter 39

**A/N: *Longish a/n ahead* Thank you so much for the reviews, and well wishes! Not wanting to put my business all out there, but my husband and I are getting a divorce and my daughter and I are moving back to my hometown in the next few months. Not only that, but I had to put my baby (Buddy, my 11 year old dog) down recently. Needless to say I've been dealing with depression and anxiety times 10. I actually hadn't worked since the beginning of September, and finally resigned Oct. 17th.****This is just another chapter of my life done, and I look forward to seeing what life has in store for me next. In the meantime, I'm going to try and write as much as I can, because once I move I'm not sure when I will be able to.****Speaking of my story, I'm at now over 400 reviews which is just insane!!! Thank you to all my readers and reviewers!!! I love you all right now you're one of the main reasons I get up in the morning. So thank you! *PS: Warning, this chapter is a bit angsty, but needed.**

Chapter 39

**Katherin's POV**

I sat down hard in my chair, tears streaming down my face. I looked around at the faces of the men seated around me through my tears, and was met with hard, cold stares. Turning towards Steph, her face matched mine, tears running down her cheeks and her eyes red. The room was as silent as a tomb, no one dared say a word. I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned around I saw Trouble, not Bobby as I expected. When I looked around the room again I realized Bobby wasn't there.

"Katherin-" Ranger was the first one to say something after I told my horrible tale, I expected nothing less, but even he didn't know how to finish the thought. I just nodded at him as I wiped my eyes, got up out of my seat, slipping past Trouble and left the room. Going straight to the apartment I made my way to the shower, turning it on as hot as I could stand it, and got in. I only stood for a few seconds before sinking onto the shower floor , knees pulled up to my chest, sobbing.

**Ranger's POV**

After Katherin left the conference room, I took a look around at my men. They each wore the same expression, one I had seen in the mirror on more than one occasion. It was the look of pure unadulterated anger. The cold fact was that every man in this room wanted to hunt down Sizemore and kill him with their bare hands. I knew as the leader of this group I needed to say something, or they could hurt someone unintentionally. "Men, the objective is clear. We can't let what happened to Katherin derail us from what needs to be done. Sizemore must be found, and brought to justice. Pure and simple." I glanced at Steph, and saw the tears rolling down her face. "Babe" I spoke softer, as to not startle her. "Are you okay?"

She stared at me for a moment, I thought she wasn't going to answer me until her eyes turned cold and she slammed her hands down on the table. "I don't care what you say Ranger, I am going to kill him!" She pushed her chair back violently from the table, almost knocking Trouble over in the process. "You!! Did you know what happened to her? Does Alex??" She didn't wait for an answer, instead she began pacing and continued to rant under her breath. I knew I would need to give her some time to process what we heard, but we still had work to do.

"Steph, I need you to print out the information for Cal and Vince on Collins/Jones." She gave me a look like I was crazy but I ignored it. "We have to catch him Babe, and you have the best information to do that." Her breathing started to regulate, and she nodded. Grabbing her laptop she motioned for the men to follow her, and all three walked out the door. "Manny, due to your injury, you're on Kat duty. I want a report on when she leaves the apartment, what she does, where she goes in the building. If she attempts to leave I want you to stop her, any means necessary. Do I make myself clear? No repeat of Steph's escape." He smiled as I heard a grunt come from Hal and left the room without a word.

"Lester, you're on Bobby watch. Find him, drug him with his own shit if you have to. He does not leave the building. Clear?" Lester stood and saluted, like the smart ass he is.

"Aye Aye Captain!"

"That's Lieutenant Colonel, and you know it." My mouth curled slightly, which to me is basically the same as falling on the ground laughing. He grinned back at me and walked out of the room, and I turned back to the rest of the men.

"Boss, what do we do? That was…" Hal shuddered. "I can't believe she's still standing, laughing, acting like everything is fine." I looked to Trouble as he finally sat down in the chair Kat had vacated.

"She has panic attacks. Has had them since we met her. Brown headed one off earlier when Ranger mentioned Mark's name. She had one in the dressing room yesterday, after she got the text message. And she had a nightmare last night. Trust me fellas, she plays a good role, but this has been crushing her, killing her from the inside since it happened." Trouble shook his head. "When Alex found her wandering on the side of the road, it was dark. He didn't see the bruises on her arms until he brought her to the house. She told us, Alex, Phoenix and myself the story once, and made us promise not to tell a soul. She went to the police station to file the report with Phoenix, but didn't want her name associated with it, so Alex paid the officers to make sure her name was no where in the report. Then he had Mark killed in prison, or so we thought. Kat doesn't know that it was on Alex's order. I don't know what she would do, knowing he gave the order to have her husband killed."

"You would think she would be thrilled, given what happened to her. I can't imagine she would feel anything different." Woody voiced what the rest of us were thinking.

Trouble just shrugged. "I don't try to guess what that woman is thinking or feeling. She has been an enigma since we met her."

"Did Ramos find out what happened with the order? Why is Mark still breathing?" My second in command asked.

Trouble raked his hand over his face at Tank's question and sighed. "I spoke with Phoenix earlier. Apparently our inside man was bought off by Mark. Yes, he was stabbed, but not fatally as we were told originally. Then the guard smuggled him out, and another inmate took his place. They planted a ring of Mark's on the body to make the identifying party think it was him, and beat him so his face was unidentifiable, making sure it was a closed casket service."

"Call Phoenix, tell him he has Rangeman at his disposal. If he wants to come here for anything, he has my authority." I wanted one or more of my men with him anyway. If we could find Mark and pay back Anthony at the same time, I was all for it. Trouble nodded and rose , dialing as he walked to the back corner of the room. I stared again into my men's faces, knowing we all had the same goal. Kill Mark Sizemore, no matter what.

**Lester's POV**

I found Bobby down in the gym, beating the hell out of the punching bag. Catching sight of his unwrapped hands I winced at the welts and blood. Carefully I made my way over to him, making sure to keep one hand on the syringe of knock out meds I pilfered from his office. "Hey B." He grunted in reply but didn't stop hitting the bag. "You might want to take a break, it looks like you're doing some nasty damage to your hands, and I distinctly remember you telling me that they were your money makers." He shrugged but still continued punching the bag. I pulled the syringe out of my pocket, keeping it hidden from sight as I walked closer to him. "Come on B, lay off man. You need to get those cleaned off and taped, before you do permanent damage. I can call Kat down…" That stopped him. He grabbed the bag and glared at me.

"She has dealt with enough, why would you call her down here for me? I'm fine Lester. Leave me alone." He stormed off towards the fridge, grabbing two bottles of water and sat down on the bench. One he downed, the other he used to wash his bloody knuckles off. I grabbed a towel and handed it to him before sitting down.

"No can do bud. We're best friends, and because we are best friends, I am sticking by your side. So you can yell and scream at me, curse or call me names it doesn't matter." We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again, so quiet I almost missed it.

"How could she live after that? I couldn't… I almost didn't…" _Shit._ Yes, my best friend had been assaulted while we were in the Army, part of an op that we don't speak about, EVER. So to hear him bring it up now? I made sure the meds were out of sight but within reach if this turned bad. Bobby never spoke about what happened to him when he was captured, not even to me. We had an idea when we got him back, but he never actually talked about it to anyone.

"I don't know B. She's strong. So are you. Maybe that's why you two get along so well, kindred spirits… you could talk to her you know." We both jumped up when we heard a noise come from the doorway, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Kat standing there. She must have went straight to the shower after leaving the meeting, her hair was still damp and pulled in a tight ponytail. She had baggy sweats and an over sized hoody on, a very different outfit than she wore on her earlier trip to the gym. I motioned for her to come closer, noticing that Manny was right behind her. I nodded to him and he stayed by the door. Apparently he took "Kat duty" very seriously.

"Hey Lester, Bobby… I'm sorry I didn't know anyone was down here. I just needed … oh my God what did you do to your hands!" she rushed over, nearly barreling over me to examine Bobby's bloody knuckles. "Lester please ask my shadow over there to grab my med bag from my apartment. I promise I'll stay right here with the two of you while he's gone." I raised an eyebrow at Manny and he nodded, slipping out the door. "Bobby what happened?" she was holding both his hands in hers, gently feeling them to see if anything was broken I'm guessing. (Don't ask me, I'm not the medic!)

"I'm fine, I just forgot to tape them up before I started boxing. It's not big deal Kat, really." She tore her gaze away from his hands and glared at him. _Uh oh…_ I've seen this look before on women. See, I'm not particularly proud of the fact but I'm a player, so I've been around women. Nothing good ever comes from the look she was shooting him.

Sure enough, she started calmly yelling at him. I've never heard a calm yell before, but that's the only way to describe what she did. "Robert Brown, don't you lie to me. You did this on purpose. Why? You wanted to hurt yourself to try and take away my pain?" Her voice was low, but stern. I slunk away slowly, hoping to avoid her glare and wrath, but I wasn't that lucky. "And you! Where were you when he was doing this?" I opened my mouth to try and defend myself, but in reality she was right. I should have been there with him. He's my partner, and has had my back through more fucked up situations than I can count. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Manny come back with the bag, so I just pointed at him , making the motion that I was going to go get what she requested, but Kat just narrowed her eyes at me and turned back towards Bobby. Feeling like I just escaped from a fate worse than death I jogged over to Manny and grabbed the bag.

"What the hell was that?" The bastard was trying not to laugh.

"I… I've got nothing. She may be tiny but she's scary man… do NOT get her mad at you !" Manny's shoulders were vibrating, and he had a smirk on his face.

"Lester." I jumped a foot as I heard Kat's voice behind me. Way to be aware of your surroundings Les! "May I have my bag now?" I glared at Manny who had obviously seen her coming and failed to warn me, before turning around and handing her the requested item. She walked back towards Bobby and Manny and I leaned against the wall, waiting and watching.

**Bobby's POV**

_She's an angel…_ I watched Kat's face as she sat me down and examined my hands for possible fractures. I knew they were fine, they looked pretty bad but I knew nothing was actually wrong with them. Did I stop her? Hell no. Her hands were soft, like velvet. It caused quite the reaction from my cock as her fingers flitted over my knuckles. _God it's so not the right time to feel like this, but she's so damn beautiful._ I could feel two sets of eyes boring holes in the back of my head courtesy of Les and Manny, but I ignored them. "Bobby, why?" Kats crystal blue eyes met mine, and my heart broke a bit seeing her sadness.

Taking a deep breath, I began my sad tale. "I was upset at what happened to you Kat. Actually, upset doesn't cover my emotion… angry, frustrated, sick… but it wasn't just hearing what happened to you. It brought up a very painful memory for me, one I had repressed for a long time. I guess something inside me just… snapped. I needed to hit something." I hissed as she poured the peroxide on my knuckles and paused until she patted them dry before continuing. "Only Ranger, Tank and Les know that something happened to me, but they don't know the details. I haven't ever spoke about it to anyone else, not even my family." I placed a knuckle under her chin and raised her head until I could gaze into those endless cerulean pools. "The same thing happened to me." To her credit she didn't look shocked or appalled. She cupped my cheek with one hand , staring into my eyes for a moment before getting the butterfly bandages out.

"Bobby, I understand that what you went through was extremely painful, and I don't want to cause you further pain by having you repeat the story… but I am here, to listen, if you want." She kissed my cheek and then busied herself doctoring my wounds. We sat in silence for a few minutes until she was finished. Grabbing both my hands in hers, she raised my knuckles to her mouth, gently kissing them before letting go. "There, all fixed. I suggest no hand to hand combat for a few days until the wounds have time to heal." I nodded, standing, and held out my hand to her. She smiled at me , allowing me to assist her getting up.

"I would like to take this conversation to my office, if that's okay with you?" It's time. The guys have told me for years that I needed to speak to someone about what happened to me, but there just hasn't been the right person. Not anymore. She's it.

"I would love that." Kat smiled warmly at me, her cheeks stained pink as she glanced down and saw me still holding her hand, but I didn't let go. It felt too good. We walked out of the gym and to the elevator with Les and Manny behind us.

"Manny you can take a break. Kat and I are going to my office for awhile, I'll let you know when you need to be back on duty." He looked like he was going to disagree with me, but Les jabbed him before he said anything .

"No problem B. Manny and I can get a workout in. You two kids have fun now!" Les winked at us as he spun Manny back towards the gym before he could utter any words. I knew Manny wouldn't be doing any working out, seeing as he still had his arm in a sling, but I appreciated Les getting him out of our hair just the same.

The ride from the bottom floor gym to my third floor office suite was made in silence, but I didn't let go of Kat's hand. I needed that tether to her, to make myself believe she was real. Only once we were at my door did I let go, but quickly moved my hand to the small of her back to guide her into my inner sanctum. "My apartment is next door, would you be more comfortable there?" I hadn't wanted to assume she would be okay in my space, I felt like the office might be more neutral ground. She surprised me though by nodding , so I ushered her into my attached apartment. "It's not much, but this way I'm never far from the action." I quickly glanced around, picking up the bottles that hadn't been thrown away, making sure Les hadn't left anything embarrassing laying around just to torment me.

"Bobby-" I stopped cleaning and turned towards Kat. "Sit." She had a calming presence, probably her training for her PhD coming through, although maybe it was just her personality. She laid her hand on my arm and I felt a shot of electricity run through me. _Shit I need to relax, she probably thinks I'm crazy!_ Kat smiled softly at me, making me think she had read my thoughts. She took my hand and gently led me to the couch, taking off her shoes before tucking her feet underneath her. I sat next to her, jittery. "You can tell me as much or as little as you want. Or if you don't want to talk, we can sit here. I want to do whatever I can to make you comfortable."

Now I don't have a lot of use for God typically, I'm in the medical field so you know, more science minded. But right now I was internally cursing and praising him for bringing this woman into my path. The fact was I wanted her the second I laid eyes on her, but there was no way I would act on it, not when she was dealing with her husband coming after her! I would make Ranger call me to the mats before I hurt her… and being with me would cause her nothing but hurt. I realized I had been silent for awhile and turned to look at her. When our eyes met it was like the veil of shame about my past had been lifted. I opened my mouth and began my story.

**A/N 2: I wanted to get some of the next chapter written before I posted this one, sorry for the delay! The next chapter will have major disclaimers before it just as a precaution. Thank you again for all your amazing reviews! **


	40. Author Note

A/N: I'm still alive! The last couple of months have been a whirlwind , and it doesn't appear to be stopping any time soon. I left Texas and came back to Wisconsin, which meant I've been packing and cleaning and getting ready to move, plus finding homes for my dogs, and then driving for two days!! Also getting settled in to living back at home with my folks. As I said, it's been a whirlwind! That being said, I haven't had much of an opportunity to sit and think about the next step in this story til now. I'm sorry for being gone for so long, but I really need to do some deep brainstorming on where I want this to go next. So forgive the delay, and sorry for the note with no chapter, but I realized I haven't posted anything since last year ;) I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season, and I promise you'll get new chapters soon!


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